Topic
Wills
952 published works
Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog
Attorneys for Tony Hsieh’s Family Find Few Clues About Surprise Will
[Special thanks to Joel C. Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.] Lawyers for the late tech entrepreneur Tony Hsieh’s family are…
Leaving A Loving Legacy
Don’t Lose the Trust Documents!
By Daniel Price
In estate planning, the paper you lose determines the outcome you get. When clients think about “losing estate documents,” they often picture chaos — assets frozen, plans destroyed, and endless…
Archer Estate & Trust Litigation Law
Appellate Division Reiterates the Standard for Standing to Contest the Validity of Wills
In re Estate of Carone, Docket Nos. A-0858-24, A-0860-24, 2025 WL 2731315 (N.J. Super. App. Div. Sept. 25, 2025) The plaintiffs were the decedents’ grandsons. The standing of the plaintiffs…
HEIRS & SUCCESSES
Can a Journal Entry Be a Will?
In September 2022, Brendan Oakley Graham Smith (the deceased) died by suicide, leaving behind a “Last Note” in his journal written between 20 and 25 August 2022, reflecting on what…
Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog
Welcome to the New Wills, Trusts & Estates Blog
We are pleased to announce the transition of the Wills, Trusts, & Estates Blog from TypePad to this new platform, Lexblog. This move reflects our ongoing commitment to providing readers…
Estate Planning in California
Will Revocation by Cancellation
By Unknown
When a client seeks to write a new will invariably the question of what to do with the prior will arises. There are two ways under CA law to revoke…
The Fiduciary Litigator
Court Holds That Residuary Bequest Lapsed And Assets Should Go To The Heir At Law
In In re Est. of Edward Long, the primary legal issue concerned the interpretation of a will, specifically whether the residuary clause—which bequeathed the residue of the estate to certain…
HEIRS & SUCCESSES
Passing Over a Later Will: When Probate Turns to an Earlier Testamentary Document
In the estate of Ian Robert McPherson [2025] ACTSC 33, Elizabeth Ann Mulcahy (the plaintiff) applied. She sought the grant of probate for a Will dated 14 February 2024. She…
HEIRS & SUCCESSES
Promises, Wills, and White Elephants
In Macaulay v Macaulay [2024] NSWSC 1547, the parties are the children of the late Neil Macaulay. He passed away in 2021. They are also the children of the late…
Tax Law Tx Blog
What Paperwork Do You Need When Someone Dies in Texas?
By Todd Wilson
A Clear, Practical Guide to Death Certificates, Wills & Other Vital Documents Few people realize how much paperwork follows a death until they have to deal with it firsthand. This…