A personal representative is the person authorized to handle a deceased person's legal and financial affairs.

"Authorized" matters because this person usually gets authority from a probate court, a will, or a statute, not just from being a close relative. "Handle legal and financial affairs" can include gathering property, paying debts, dealing with insurance, and bringing or defending lawsuits on behalf of the estate. In some situations, the personal representative is an executor named in a will; in others, the court appoints an administrator when there is no will. The job is to act for the estate, not simply for one family member.

That role can matter a lot after a fatal injury. In many states, including Kansas, a survival action belongs to the deceased person's estate, so the personal representative is often the one who must file and manage that claim. That is different from a wrongful death claim, which in Kansas is generally brought by the heirs at law under K.S.A. 60-1902 rather than only by the estate's representative.

Who serves in this role can affect how quickly records are collected, bills are handled, and a case moves forward. Kansas also follows modified comparative fault with a 50 percent bar under K.S.A. 60-258a, meaning recovery can be reduced by fault and barred at 50 percent or more, which can directly affect the value of any estate-related injury claim.