Who would be the client(s) when a lawyer is instructed to act in the winding up of a deceased person's estate?

• A. The beneficiaries
• B. Personal Representatives Only
• C. The heirs
• D. The executors

Answer: (B)

The person who hires the lawyer in winding up a deceased’s estate is the personal representative. This group has the legal authority to administer the estate, acting in a fiduciary capacity to collect assets, pay debts, and distribute the residue. Personal representatives include executors named in the will and administrators appointed when there is no valid will. They instruct the lawyer and sign the necessary probate and estate administration paperwork. Beneficiaries or heirs are recipients of assets, not the ones who manage the administration, and while executors are part of personal representatives, the broader term covers both executors and administrators. So the client is the personal representatives only.