Seward Park Executor & Personal Representative Guidance
Being named as an executor or personal representative carries important legal responsibilities. In Seward Park, personal representatives are required to manage estate administration in compliance with Washington probate law and fiduciary standards.
Your role may include locating and securing assets, filing required court documents, notifying heirs and creditors, paying valid debts and taxes, managing real estate, and distributing property according to a will or state law.
Executors and personal representatives have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of the estate and its beneficiaries. Mistakes, delays, or improper distributions can expose you to personal liability, even when acting in good faith.
Professional legal guidance can help you understand timelines, reporting requirements, accounting obligations, and court procedures, while minimizing the risk of disputes among heirs and beneficiaries.
Whether you are administering a simple estate or managing complex assets, business interests, or contested claims, having experienced legal support can make the process more efficient and less stressful.
Learn About Your Responsibilities Before Moving Forward
Our experimental legal guidance chatbot provides general educational information about executor duties, personal representative obligations, estate accounting, creditor claims, court filings, and common probate challenges in Washington.
This resource can help you prepare for your role and identify issues to discuss when meeting with Ruth for personalized legal guidance.
Disclaimer: The chatbot provides general information only and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Individual circumstances require personalized legal advice.
About Ruth
Ruth Apahidean is a trusts and estates attorney at the Law Office of Neil R. Sarles. Her practice focuses on elder law, estate planning, and probate. She helps individuals and families plan for the management and transfer of their assets during life and after death.
This includes creating wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives. She assists clients decide how assets should be distributed, who will make financial or medical decisions if the client becomes incapacitated, and how to protect beneficiaries such as minor children or family members with special needs.
Ruth guides individuals and families through the probate process (the court-supervised procedure used to settle a person’s estate after death). Her primary role is to assist the personal representative ensure that the deceased person’s assets are distributed according to a valid will or, if no will exists, in accordance with state law.
She has volunteered at Neighborhood Legal Clinics: Elder Law Clinic, the Washington First Responder Will Clinic, and Tacomaprobono Community Lawyers. Ruth is the Bar Talk Columnist for the King County Bar Association Bar Bulletin and the New Lawyer Liaison for the Washington State Bar Association Senior Lawyers Section.
Learn more about Ruth at https://www.sarles.com/.
Education:
- J.D., University of Washington School of Law
- B.A., History and English, University of Washington, magna cum laude
Bar Admissions:
- U.S. District Courts: Western District of Washington
- All Washington State Courts
Memberships:
- King County Bar Association
Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or want to schedule a meeting, you can reach Ruth directly by email at ruth@sarles.com or using the form below.