[retiredguy123]

You don't have to hire a lawyer. I have done it twice myself, but not in Florida. The court reviewed the will and gave me a document officially appointing me as the executor or "personal representative" of the estate. Then, I went to my bank and set up an estate checking account. I also had to advertise in the newspaper that the estate had been established to notify any possible creditors. Then, I transferred all the money into the estate account and distributed it to the beneficiaries named in the will. After the legal time period for the estate to be open (in my state, it was 6 months) I filled out a form showing that I had distributed all the funds and other estate property, gave the form to the court, and the estate was closed. It was all very easy, and I saved $4,500 on the lawyer. Good luck.