Commissioners of accounts are attorneys appointed by the judges in each locality in Virginia. Their job is to supervise all fiduciaries who have been admitted to qualify in the court or before the clerk of the circuit court for the locality. For example, when a person qualifies to serve as the executor of a deceased person’s estate, they must report their activities to the commissioner of accounts for that locality. The commissioner’s job is to monitor the fiduciary’s actions, to make sure that the fiduciary is doing what they are supposed to do, and to take legal action if they are not.
Here at The Mottley Law Firm, we are accustomed to communicating with commissioners of accounts when representing clients involved in family estate disputes.
Sometimes, it is necessary to conduct a hearing before the commissioner of accounts. For instance, the commissioner of accounts may convene a hearing, called a “debts and demands” hearing. At such a hearing, the commissioner hears evidence and makes rulings as to what debts the estate must pay to creditors of a deceased person. The commissioner of accounts then makes a report of their findings to the circuit court. Any interested person has an opportunity to file objections (exceptions) to the commissioner’s recommendations. If objections are filed, a circuit court judge will hold a hearing to consider them. If no objections are filed, then the commissioner of accounts recommendations stand.
Family Estate Litigation Attorneys in Richmond, VA
Here at The Mottley Law Firm, we are very familiar with handling family estate disputes, and issues related to them, before commissioners of accounts. When we are asked to provide advice relating to a family estate situation, we start by offering an initial consultation for a fixed fee of $500. As part of the initial consultation, you will get up to one hour of our attorney’s time to discuss your situation with you, and you will receive some initial guidance from us as to what Virginia law says about your situation in our opinion. In most cases, this initial consultation results in the matter not proceeding further. But in some cases, legal action is necessary.
