Personal Representative

A personal representative is the umbrella term for executor (testate) and administrator (intestate). Their authority comes from letters testamentary or letters of administration — a court order naming them and authorizing them to act on behalf of the estate.

For mineral title work, the personal representative is the only person who can sign deeds out of the estate. A deed signed by an heir before the personal representative has been appointed, or after the appointment was terminated, is at minimum suspect and at worst void.

Independent administration (Texas) gives the PR broad authority to act without ongoing court supervision; dependent administration requires court approval for nearly every act. The runsheet often shows whether independent administration was granted by looking at the original probate order.