Texas recognizes two types of wills. A typed will and a handwritten will. A handwritten will is called a holographic will.These two types of wills are equally valid but have different requirements. A holographic or handwritten will, must be wholly in the handwriting of the testator. It cannot have parts that are printed and parts [...]
Archive of posts tagged Wills
Can you incorporate another document into your will?
Some wills make reference to documents outside the will to dispose of property. If the other document is sufficiently identified and was in existence when the will was made, such a will can be valid. Most of the time, however, references to documents outside the will cause a challenge to the will. To survive the [...]
Concealing, altering or destroying a will is a state jail felony in Texas.
Texas Penal Code §32.47(d)(1) makes it a state jail felony for a person to conceal, alter or hide a will of another person. The statute says “A person commits an offense if, with intent to defraud or harm another, he destroys, removes, conceals, alters, substitutes, or otherwise impairs the verity, legibility, or availability of a [...]
When is a will effective?
A will normally becomes effective when the testator dies. But what happens when the testator revokes a prior will or revokes a trust? Does the revocation become effective on the date of death or on the date that the will was executed? Consider these facts: A woman creates a revocable trust leaving real estate to a grandson. Later, she [...]
Is a forged will good for something?
It can be used to determine when the statute of limitations starts running says the San Antonio Court of Appeals. A man died. A will was offered and admitted to probate. A contest was filed. The jury found the will to be a forgery. The trial court ruled that the testator died intestate. There was [...]
Where do you sign a will?
In a recent case, the testator had what was obviously a self made will. It was not prepared by a lawyer. As you might expect in that situation, the will was contested. The contest involved the location of the signature of the testator. The will was four pages long. The first two pages gave the [...]
Can beneficiaries agree not to be bound by a will?
The quick answer is yes, they can. Texas recognizes what are called “family settlement agreements.” A family settlement agreement will be enforced by a court even if the distribution of the assets under the agreement differ from the distribution of the assets under the will. A family settlement agreement is an alternative method of administration [...]
Can two people enter into a contract to make their wills a certain way?
This question usually comes up when a husband and wife make their wills at the same time. A contractual will is different from a joint will. A joint will is just one document that has the testamentary wishes of two people. It is not contractual. A mutual or contractual will is one executed pursuant to [...]
If an attorney prepares a will, can the will leave property to him or someone in his office?
The quick answer is no, it can’t. Texas has a statute that says “…a devise or bequest of property in a will to an heir or employee of the attorney who prepares or supervises the preparation of the will is void.” In a recent case, an attorney had a woman working in his office that [...]
Can you replace pages in your will?
If you have a will and you decide to make changes to it, can you take out a page and replace it? If you replace pages and then re-execute the will with the formalities required of a will, you can make changes. However, if you just make changes to your will such as: Replacing pages; [...]
