Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this concise exposition and analysis of the essential elements of law with regard to family relations, marital property, and succession to estates in England and Wales covers the legal rules and customs pertaining to the intertwined civic status of persons, the family, and property. After an informative general introduction, the book proceeds to an in-depth discussion of the sources and instruments of family and succession law, the authorities that adjudicate and administer the laws, and issues surrounding the person as a legal entity and the legal disposition of property among family members. Such matters as nationality, domicile, and residence; marriage, divorce, and cohabitation; adoption and guardianship; succession and inter vivos arrangements; and the acquisition and administration of estates are all treated to a degree of depth that will prove useful in nearly any situation likely to arise in legal practice. The book is primarily designed to assist lawyers who find themselves having to apply rules of international private law or otherwise handling cases connected with England and Wales. It will also be of great value to students and practitioners as a quick guide and easy-to-use practical resource in the field, and especially to academicians and researchers engaged in comparative studies by providing the necessary, basic material of family and succession law.

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this concise exposition and analysis of the essential elements of law with regard to family relations, marital property, and succession to estates in England and Wales covers the legal rules and customs pertaining to the intertwined civic status of persons, the family, and property. After an informative general introduction, the book proceeds to an in-depth discussion of the sources and instruments of family and succession law, the authorities that adjudicate and administer the laws, and issues surrounding the person as a legal entity and the legal disposition of property among family members. Such matters as nationality, domicile, and residence; marriage, divorce, and cohabitation; adoption and guardianship; succession and inter vivos arrangements; and the acquisition and administration of estates are all treated to a degree of depth that will prove useful in nearly any situation likely to arise in legal practice. The book is primarily designed to assist lawyers who find themselves having to apply rules of international private law or otherwise handling cases connected with England and Wales. It will also be of great value to students and practitioners as a quick guide and easy-to-use practical resource in the field, and especially to academicians and researchers engaged in comparative studies by providing the necessary, basic material of family and succession law.

This third volume in a series on Comparative Succession Law concerns the entitlement of family members to override the provisions of a deceased person's will to obtain money or assets (or more money or assets) from the person's estate. Some countries, notably those in the civil law tradition (such as France or Germany), confer a pre-ordained share of the deceased's estate or of its value on certain members of the deceased's family, and especially on the deceased's children and spouse. Other countries, notably those in the common law tradition (such as England, Canada, or Australia), leave the matter to the discretion of the court, the amount awarded depending primarily on financial need. Whichever form it takes, mandatory family provision is both a protection against disinheritance and also, therefore, a restriction on testamentary freedom. The volume focuses on Europe and on countries influenced by the European experience. In addition to detailed treatment of the law in Austria, England and Wales, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Scotland, and Spain, the book also has chapters on Australia and New Zealand, South Africa, the United States, Canada, the countries of Latin America, and the People's Republic of China. Some other countries are covered more briefly, and there is a separate chapter on Islamic law. The book opens with accounts of Roman law and of the law in medieval and early-modern Europe, and it concludes with a comparative assessment of the law as it is today in the countries and legal traditions surveyed in this volume.

This book brings together a range of views on the reciprocal influences of substantive and private international law in the fields of family and succession law. It outlines some key elements of this interplay in selected jurisdictions and provides a basis for discussion and future work on the reciprocal influences of domestic and European law.

Preface Contents Abbreviations i Authors i part i Harmonization of Succession Law in Europe: The Current Debate chapter 1 Need and Opportunity of Convergence in European Succession Laws Walter Pintens chapter 2 Testamentary Freedom or Forced Heirship? Balancing Party Autonomy and the Protection of Family Members Andrea Bonomi part ii New Trends in Catalan Succession Law chapter 3 Between Tradition and Modernisation: A General Overview of the Catalan Succession Law Reform Esther Arroyo Amayuelas - Miriam Anderson chapter 4 Testamentary Freedom and Its Limits Esteve Bosch Capdevila chapter 5 Freedom of Testation, Compulsory Share and Disinheritance Based on Lack of Family Relationship Antoni Vaquer Aloy chapter 6 Freedom of Testation Versus Freedom to Enter Into Succession Agreements and Transaction Costs Susana Navas Navarro part iii National Perspectives on the Law of Succession in the 21st Century chapter 7 Freedom of Testation in England and Wales Roger Kerridge chapter 8 Law of Succession and Testamentary Freedom in Germany A. Röthel chapter 9 The Law of Succession in Hungary Zoltán Csehi chapter 10 Freedom of Testation in Italy Andrea Fusaro chapter 11 Acquisition of Property by Succession in Dutch Law. Tradition between Autonomy and Solidarity in a Changing Society J. Michael Milo chapter 12 The Norwegian Approach to Forced Share, the Surviving Spouse's Position and Irrevocable Wills Peter Hambro chapter 13 Restraints on Freedom of Testation in Scottish Succession Law Eric Clive chapter 14 Freedom of Testation in Slovenia Suzana Kraljić chapter 15 Freedom of Testation, Legal Inheritance Rights and Public Order under Spanish Law Sergio Cámara Lapuente.

While continental and comparative lawyers have recently rediscovered succession law as an area of immense practical importance deserving greater academic attention, it is still a neglected field in England. This book aims to reinvigorate the English debate. It brings together contributions by leading academics and practitioners engaging with topical issues as well as questions of fundamental importance in succession law and estate planning. The book will be of interest to both academics and practitioners working in the field, and to non-English comparative lawyers.

Succession, Wills and Probate is an ideal textbook for those taking an undergraduate course in this surprisingly vibrant subject, and also provides a clear and comprehensive introduction for professionals. Against an account of the main social and political themes of succession law, the book gives detailed explanations of core topics such as alternatives to wills and the making, altering and revocation of wills. It also explains personal representatives and how they should deal with a deceased person's estate and interpret and implement the will. Gifts may fail, estates may be insolvent or a person may die intestate, without a will at all. Increasingly relatives and others seek to challenge the will, for example on the grounds of the testator's capacity or under the law of family provision. This third edition is edited, updated and revised to take account of new legislation and case law across all the relevant issues, including a new final chapter dealing with the potentially contentious issues that are becoming more central to professional work in the field of succession.

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this concise exposition and analysis of the essential elements of law with regard to family relations, marital property, and succession to estates in England and Wales covers the legal rules and customs pertaining to the intertwined civic status of persons, the family, and property. After an informative general introduction, the book proceeds to an in-depth discussion of the sources and instruments of family and succession law, the authorities that adjudicate and administer the laws, and issues surrounding the person as a legal entity and the legal disposition of property among family members. Such matters as nationality, domicile, and residence; marriage, divorce, and cohabitation; adoption and guardianship; succession and inter vivos arrangements; and the acquisition and administration of estates are all treated to a degree of depth that will prove useful in nearly any situation likely to arise in legal practice. The book is primarily designed to assist lawyers who find themselves having to apply rules of international private law or otherwise handling cases connected with England and Wales. It will also be of great value to students and practitioners as a quick guide and easy-to-use practical resource in the field, and especially to academicians and researchers engaged in comparative studies by providing the necessary, basic material of family and succession law.

This book is one of the first to link company law to the law of succession by concentrating on family businesses. It shows that, to understand the legal framework underlying the daily operations of family businesses, one needs legal analysis, empirical data, psychological and sociological knowledge. The book works on the premise that, since many businesses have been founded by families, practitioners need to develop an understanding of the legal background of such businesses and build up experience to be able to create contracts, trusts, foundations and other legal mechanisms to give shape to systems and procedures for the transfer of shares and control within the family. Comparing the national legal order, techniques, and mechanisms in a range of countries, the book examines parallel developments in these fields of law across the world. Finally, it demonstrates the room for companies, shareholders and the members of a family to develop individual solutions within the legal framework for transferring businesses and shares to the next generation.

While continental and comparative lawyers have recently rediscovered succession law as an area of immense practical importance deserving greater academic attention, it is still a neglected field in England. This book aims to reinvigorate the English debate. It brings together contributions by leading academics and practitioners engaging with topical issues as well as questions of fundamental importance in succession law and estate planning. The book will be of interest to both academics and practitioners working in the field, and to non-English comparative lawyers.