Probate is the legal term for the process by which a court appoints a substitute decision maker for a person and oversees the carrying out of those decisions. Typically, people think of probate as a long, convoluted, and expensive process that must occur when a person dies. The process of managing a person’s estate through the court system (whether or not they have a will) is certainly a significant part of what is considered “probate”. However, probate includes many other matters, as well, including the court-involved creation, modification, and termination of trusts, the establishments of guardianships and conservatorships, and other “protective proceedings” authorized by Oregon statutes.