Probate is the term used to describe the court-supervised process, following a person's death, of handing the asset and property disribution towards the dead person's wishes. Here are some responsibilities of the court: proving the authencity of the deceased person's will; appointing someone to handle the deceased person's affairs; identifying and inventorying the deceased person's property; paying debts and taxes; identifying heirs; and distributing the deceased person's property according to the will or if there is no will, according to state law. Formal generally a costly and time-consuming process that is best avoided if possible through a revocable trust of some sort. However, most states nowadays offer simplified probate procedures for estates of relatively small value.