Can the estate lawyer make the executors apply for probate if they don't want to?

Can the estate lawyer make the executors go through probate if they don't want to, or without explaining why probate is necessary? A reader recently wrote to me about a situation in which this seems to be happening. Read on to see her question and my comments:

"My brother passed away. I was able to get a lawyer to come to the hospital and help him do up his will. They got the will done up and