Wills Formalities Flashcards
Requirements of a Valid Will
- Legal Capacity. TPC 251.001
- Age 18 or older,
- Currently or previously married, or
- Current member of the armed forces of the U.S.
- Testamentary Capacity (“of sound mind”)
- Sufficient mental ability to understand:
- Extent and scope of the testator’s property (the what)
- Natural objects of testator’s bounty (the who)
- Effect of legal act of disposition (the purpose)
- Relate all above elements together at same time.
- Sufficient mental ability to understand:
- Testamentary Intent
- Formalities (attested wills under TPC 251.051 and holographic wills under TPC 251.052)
Types of Wills
Attested Wills, Notarized Wills, and Holographic Wills
Attested Wills - Core Formalities
- Writing
- Signature
-
Attestation by witnesses
- Number varies by state (UPC and Texas require 2)
Attestation - Witnesses Witnessing in Each Other’s Presence?
- Majority
- Minority
- Majority - Most states DO NOT require the witnesses to be together either
- (1) when the testator signs or acknowledges the will, or
- (2) when the witnesses attest to the will.
- Minority - The 1837 Wills Act required the witnesses to be present at the same time when the testator signed or acknowledged the will. (Minority Rule)
Attestation - Majority, UPC and Texas Rules
- Majority Rule – each witness must sign the will in the testator’s presence (designed to prevent fraud).
- Conscious Presence (majority) - a witness is in the presence of the testator if the testator, through sight, hearing, or general consciousness of events, comprehends that the witness is in the act of signing.
- Line of Sight (minority) – witnesses and testators have to be within each other’s line of sight to be in eachother’s presence (unless blind).
- UPC 2-502(a) – the witnesses must within a reasonable time after seeing testator sign or acknowledge his earlier signature.
- They don’t have to sign during the testator’s lifetime, but they have to sign it within a reasonable time
- Texas – Unlike many states, Texas law does not require the witnesses to attest in each other’s presence or the testator to sign the will in the presence of the witnesses, so long as the execution and attestation of a will occurs at the same time and place and forms part of one transaction (aka “continuous transaction view”).
Attestation Clause (UPC)
A clause that recites that the will was duly executed in accordance with the applicable wills act.
- UPC 3-406(3) – attestation clause not required, but creates a rebuttable presumption of a valid execution.
Self Proving Affidavit
- Definition
- Methods
- Legal Effect
- Self-Proving Affidavit – instead of the testator putting an attestation clause in the will, the witness can sign a self-proving affidavit—a sworn declaration under oath that the will was duly executed.
- UPC 2-504 – Two Methods of Self Proving Affidavits –
- One Step - Combined attestation clause pus self-proving affidavit.
- Two Step (Most States) -
- attestation clause with will.
- Then notarize SPA separately.
- Legal Effect –
- UPC 3-406(1) – if a witness is self-proved, questions of due execution are not contestable except with evidence of fraud, or forgery of the acknowledgment or affidavit.
- Other States – may only give rise to rebuttable presumption of due execution.
- Texas - A validly executed self-proved will may be admitted to probate without the testimony of any subscribing witnesses.
Signature Requirement
- General Rule
- Order of Signing
- Subscription
- Delayed Attestation (UPC)
- General Rule – in all states, and UPC 2-502(a), testator is required to sign the will.
- Full name is preferable, but a mark (such as initials or abbreviation) intended as a signature is sufficient.
- Order of Signing – generally testator needs to sign or acknowledge before witnesses sign.
- Subscription – a minority of states require the signature at the end of the document.
- Delayed Attestation – under UPC 2-502(a)(3)(A), witness must attest to the will within a reasonable time (which could even be after the testator’s death).
Is the Testator Required to Identify the Date and Executor in Will?
General Rule - wills generally are not invalid for failure to identify the date of its making or the executor of the estate.
Interested Witnesses and Purging Statutes -
- Majority/Texas Rule
- Minority/UPC
- Majority/Texas Rule on Purging– an interested witness forfeits their devise in excess of what they would have received through intestacy if they testify in probate court.
- Only applies to a witness who is necessary to confirm a will’s validity.
- Supernumerary Exception - If the will is witnessed by enough disinterested people (Texas requires one other disinterested witness), the interested witness is supernumerary and may take his full devise.
- Doesn’t have to be an attesting witness on the will itself (e.g., could be the attorney who attended the will signing).
- UPC/Minority - no requirement that any of the witnesses be disinterested; an interested witness is not purged of his devise.
Interested Witnesses and Purging Statutes - Minority/UPC Rule
a large minority of states, and the UPC 2-505(b), do not require any probate witness to be disinterested and do not purge an interested witness of their devise.
Safeguarding a Will
- Lawyers should generally refrain from keeping a client’s will unless the client asks them to.
- Many states and UPC 2-515 provide for deposit of a will with local probate court clerk.
- But most people don’t know about this and there is no national registry.
Substantial Compliance Doctrine
The court may deem a defectively executed will as being in accord with statutory formalities if there is clear and convincing evidence that the purposes of those formalities were served.
- Majority of states do not follow, or have stricter variations of it.
Harmless Error Rule Under UPC
UPC 2-503 –The court may excuse noncompliance if there is clear and convincing evidence that the decedent intended the document to be his will, a partial or complete revocation of a will, an addition or alteration to a will, or partial or complete revival of their formerly revoked will.
- UPC 2-503 and 11 States follow (but not Texas)
- not enough that testator had intent to change will. Has to intend that specific document be the revised/substitute will.
Does a Will Need to be on Paper?
- A will need not be on paper.
- All that is required is that the will be in the form of a reasonably permanent record.
- Example - courts have found that will written on galaxy tablet with stylus was testator’s will.