Professor Beyer has this post about Judge Sotomayor's decisions in a few cases affecting trusts and estates. One case in particular is of interest to me, as it relates to a discussion I had with David Giacalone (detailed here) a few years ago about whether personal representatives should be able to handle a probate without hiring an attorney (that is, pro se). Judge Sotomayor's take is the same as I've heard in the Cook County probate court:
“[A]n administratrix or executrix of an estate may not proceed pro se when the estate has beneficiaries or creditors other than the litigant.”