Attorney referrals do happen, and the shape is roughly what fathom describes. The attorney doesn't represent the family's interest in getting the highest price, they represent the estate's interest in being administered and closed properly. When a house is the obstacle to closing the estate, a reliable cash buyer is useful to them. That usefulness is the entire basis of the relationship.
A few terms so the rest of the thread reads clearly. The personal representative is the person the court authorized to act for the estate, and they're the only one who can sign a sale. Heirs inherit but usually can't sign until the property is distributed to them. As-is means you take the condition without asking the estate to repair or warrant anything, which matters because a representative often has no idea what's wrong with a house they never lived in.
One thing to sort out before you make calls: paying an attorney, a paralegal, or anyone else a fee for sending you sellers can run into state licensing rules and bar rules on referral fees, and both vary by state. A local attorney should tell you what's permitted where you are before money changes hands.
The adjacent relationships get overlooked. Estate sale companies, cleanout crews, and auctioneers walk into these houses weeks before anyone thinks about selling. They aren't bound by the same rules the attorney is, and they know which families are overwhelmed.
