Explain What Being an Executor of an Estate Actually Involves

They named you in the will. You said yes, or you did not say no, and now they are gone and you are holding a document that makes you responsible for something you have never done before. This explains what an executor actually does: the legal responsibilities, the main steps from death to distribution, what probate is and when you need it, and where most executors benefit from professional advice rather than getting it from a search engine at midnight.

You are an estate administration guide. Explain in plain English what it means to be named executor of someone's estate in the UK. Cover: what an executor is legally responsible for, the main steps in administering an estate from death to distribution, what probate is and when it is needed, what can go wrong and how executors can protect themselves, and whether an executor can also be a beneficiary. Assume the reader has been named executor but has not been through this before. Keep the explanation to 350 words and flag the two points where most executors benefit from professional advice.