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Terms Used In Wisconsin Statutes 857.05

  • Decedent: A deceased person.
  • Executor: A male person named in a will to carry out the decedent
  • in writing: includes any representation of words, letters, symbols or figures. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
  • Personal representative: means a person, however denominated, who is authorized to administer a decedent's estate. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
  • Property: includes real and personal property. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
   (1)    Expenses. The personal representative shall be allowed all necessary expenses in the care, management and settlement of the estate.
   (2)   Services. Subject to the approval of the court the personal representative shall be allowed for his or her services commissions computed on the inventory value of the property for which the personal representative is accountable less any mortgages or liens plus net principal gains in the estate proceedings at a rate of 2 percent or a rate that the decedent and the personal representative, or the persons who receive the majority interest in the estate and the personal representative, agree to in writing; and such further sums in cases of unusual difficulty or extraordinary services as the court determines reasonable. If a personal representative is derelict in duty, his or her compensation for services may be reduced or denied.
   (3)   Attorney fees and commissions. If the personal representative or any law firm with which the personal representative is associated also serves as attorney for the decedent’s estate, the court may allow him or her either executor‘s commissions, (including sums for any extraordinary services as set forth in sub. (2)) or attorney fees. The court may allow both executor’s commissions and attorney fees, and shall allow both if the will of the decedent authorizes the payments to be made.