For a lot of people, it makes sense to appoint a child — or perhaps both children, jointly — to serve as the executor of your estate. This is especially true if you have a close relationship with your child and he or she is responsible. While such a strategy may be the norm, it's not the direction that you necessarily need to take.

An alternative idea to explore is to hire an attorney who offers this type of service, such as estate planning attorney. You can speak to several attorneys to essentially interview them and find the right candidate and then select one and begin going over your affairs. Here are three benefits of choosing an attorney for this role.

He/She Will Do A Better Job

A child or other family member serving as your executor is almost certainly doing the job for the first time, which means that he or she may make several errors during the process. This isn't something that you'll need to worry about when you hire an attorney. An attorney's experience in this role means that he or she will be able to take care of your affairs in a skilled and professional manner, resulting in no problems that may affect your heirs in the future.

He/She Alleviates The Burden From Family

One of the big challenges that people face following a loved one's death is balancing duties with mourning. Planning a funeral can become a full-time job in the days that follow a death, which can make grieving have to wait. After the funeral, it's ideal for your loved ones to be able to healthily grieve your loss, rather than start to get busy with your estate's duties.

If you appoint a family member as your executor, he or she may struggle to grieve while performing this role, which can be a burden. Having your attorney handle the job alleviates this burden from your family.

He/She May Prevent Family Squabbles

If your descendants don't necessarily get along well, there may be issues related to your estate. For example, the executor might find ways to take some of your money, or the children who aren't executors may accuse the executor of doing so. This scenario can lead to disagreements and add more stress at a time that is already difficult.

When an attorney manages your estate, your descendants will know that he or she is doing so ethically. This means that they won't be as likely to fight among themselves.