Probate is the process of proving a will is valid and thereafter administering the estate of a decedent. Receipt of probate is the first step in the legal process of administering the estate of a deceased person, resolving all claims and distributing the deceased person's property under a will.
Probate is the process of proving a will is valid and thereafter administering the estate of a decedent according to the terms of the will. It is a judicial act or determination of a court having competent jurisdiction establishing the validity of a will. First the will is filed with the clerk of the appropriate court in the county where the deceased person lived, along with a petition to have the court approve the will and appoint the executor named in the will (or if none is available, an administrator) with a declaration of a person who had signed the will as a witness. If the court determines the will is valid, the court then "admits" the will to probate.
