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.

This text provides a comprehensive guide to all areas of succession law. It considers the passing of property outside a will as well as dealing with intestate estates. It looks at the nature of wills and gives full details of the capacity and formalities for creating valid wills, including special wills, as well as altering and revoking them. In implementing wills, the principles of construction are dealt with, as well as what happens if a gift fails. There is a comprehensive introduction to the functions and administrative duties of personal representatives, and a substantial chapter covers the higly topical area of family provision. Cases are presented in detail throughout. The student is offered summaries of the mainstream criticisms of each area as an introduction to a more critical approach.

"A practical guide to drafting wills"--Publisher.

The law of succession rests on a single brute fact: you can't take it with you. The stock of wealth that turns over as people die is staggeringly large. In the United States alone, some $41 trillion will pass from the dead to the living in the first half of the 21st century. But the social impact of inheritance is more than a matter of money; it is also a matter of what money buys and brings about. Law and custom allow people many ways to pass on their property. As Friedman's enlightening social history reveals, a decline in formal rules, the ascendancy of will substitutes over classic wills, social changes like the rise of the family of affection, changing ideas of acceptable heirs, and the potential disappearance of the estate tax all play a large role in the balance of wealth. Dead Hands uncovers the tremendous social and legal importance of this rite of passage, and how it reflects changing values and priorities in American families and society.

Increasing numbers of people have connections with one country, but live and work in another, frequently owning property or investments in several countries. As such, international aspects arise in an increasing number of estates. Different countries may have separate arrangements for ownership, taxation, and succession. International Succession equips practitioners with the information necessary to navigate problems involving these different systems. Although lawyers would often advise only on the law of the jurisdictions in which they are based, seeking advice from lawyers in other countries, this book will save the practitioner the time - and expense - of ascertaining the basics concerning the inheritance systems in different countries, offering clear and easy to use information on the laws of inheritance and succession. Each country's report is based on responses to a comprehensive questionnaire that considers the practical issues arising from the jurisdiction's individual laws, making it easy for users to make specific comparisons between the laws of one country and another. The book covers over fifty countries with entries written by experts from each country, making it an invaluable resource for the busy practitioner. This title is an improved and expanded version of International Succession, edited by Louis Garb and published by Kluwer Law International, 2004. This edition, published in hardback form, will also be supplemented annually in between editions to update the individual country entries.

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.

Written in clear, conversational English, this book can help anyone understand how a living trust avoids the complications, expenses, and delays of probate at times of incapacity and death.