Picture it: My office within the last couple of years

I cannot remember exactly when, but I had a consult where an adult son accompanied his mother and with full confidence and pride, told me how he had 1) drafted his mother’s Last Will and Testament, 2) signed it as a witness and 3) was also the Executor. He then showed it to me.

I sat there in complete silence.

I was also appalled.

Do you know why that situation was so problematic?

I am about to tell you by explaining what makes a “Will.” Just a caveat, there are a lot of layers when discussing “Wills.”

Lawyers have written treatises on the subject. Treatises are REALLY big books that take deep dives into different corners of a legal subject and are a reference guide for attorneys.

You will find no treatise here. Remember, this is an elemental series- and a foundation. YOU build on that.

You think you know…but a lot of you don’t

The most well-known estate planning document, by far, is the Last Will and Testament, more commonly known as “a Will.” I think many people have heard sad and downright horrible stories within and outside of their families, about the chaos that can ensue in this document’s absence.

The lack of a Will (and I will be very frank, even its existence) can bring out negative traits in an otherwise “good person,” and can create a monster from a person who already had ill intentions or frayed family ties. Either way, having a Will is far better than not having one.

Therefore, it is the document a potential client will come to me specifically requesting— and nothing else.

No estate planning or elder law attorney worth their law license would ever just draft a will for a person who has never done any type of planning. In my opinion, to do that is malpractice.

I will put this in a different context: If a person is in an accident and both of their arms and legs, all their limbs, were fractured, a physician would cast all four limbs- not just one. All limbs need protection so that bones can fuse back together properly, and the person can resume full mobility.

It is the same with attorneys. It is our responsibility to tell clients what they need, not just go along with that they think they need. More often, they do not know the importance of a document and the long-term consequences of having it versus not.

The Series will go into more detail about this, but I just wanted that point to be clear from the outset.

“Who’s Who” in a Will

Even with most people requesting a Will, many still do not understand the document and its actual function.

We will return to my non-hypothetical from the beginning as a clear example.

·      A Last Will and Testament is a testamentary document. Testamentary means it is a document that creates or transfers an interest or a right to an asset or property. NO ONE, other than the testator and an attorney, should look at this document before the Testator’s death.

• It should be reviewed and/or revised as necessary. It cannot be utilized in any way prior to the Testator’s death. It becomes important at death.

·      The ONE person who has authority to execute a “Will” is the Testator or Testate(“Testatrix” if you want to be proper and reference a female).

·      When the Testator dies, they become the Decedent.

·      What the Decedent leaves behind in, or outside of, the Will is referred to as an Estate.

At some point after the Decedent’s death, the Will must be submitted to the local Supreme Court (in New York City) in the county where the person died for Probate.

In simple terms, and for this article, it is a judicial proceeding or process that gives a person called an Executor (more on the latter below) the power to collect all the Estate’s assets and distribute them according to the Decedent’s wishes.

The Executor was nominated and named in the Decedent’s Will.

·      Who drafts, or writes, a Will? An Attorney. More specifically, an attorney with experience. Even more explicitly, an Estate Planning and/or Elder Law Attorney who has built a practice around this area of law.

• This is not snobbery. If a cardiologist cannot diagnose neurological conditions, then an Intellectual Property lawyer whose practice focuses almost exclusively in that area, does not have the experience or knowledge base to handle these types of matters.
• Your son or daughter, even if they are an attorney, is not an acceptable draftsman. If they are your niece or nephew, then a BIG maybe. In my example, he was not an attorney.
•  A Staples do it yourself “Will Kit” is not acceptable. Sorry Staples, I like buying my office supplies from you, but I would never go to you for my estate planning needs.
• You cannot write your own Will, and your high education level or superb writing ability is irrelevant. Will drafting is more technical than creative.

·      A Testator leaves specific assets to the person or persons they name, and this class of people are generally known as Beneficiaries, or Designated Beneficiaries. Some people will use the word “heirs.”

• A beneficiary can be a spouse, child or family member, a friend, an organization or institution.
• In my example the son who was the Will draftsman was a beneficiary of his mother’s estate.
• A beneficiary cannot draft a Will from which they expect to receive an inheritance. So, if your attorney nephew is a beneficiary he cannot draft it. If your favorite attorney is a beneficiary, they cannot draft it either.

NOTE: A Residuary Beneficiary is a beneficiary who is not left a specific bequest (gift/asset) in the Will. A very simple example of a specific bequest followed by a Residuary Clause is:

I leave (or give/devise/bequeath- they all mean the same thing) my primary residence, located at 123 Mockingbird Lane, New York, NY 10023 to my wife, Jane Smith.

I leave the rest, remainder and residue of my estate, both real and personal, of whatever nature and wherever situated, real or personal property, tangible or intangible, to my only daughter Joanie Smith.”

All those words are meant to cover our butts, I mean, bases. Our aim is to be thorough after all.  

·      Every Last Will and Testament execution (signing) must be witnessed. The Witnesses,two to three of them, should be non-family members or, if family members, those who are not beneficiaries listed in the Will.

• The purpose of the witnesses is to maintain the integrity of the process. In other words, 1) attest to the testator’s sound mind- their orientation to self, time and place and 2) ensure others that the testator was not unduly influenced, under duress or pressure to sign the document when executed.
• The witnesses will sign a Self-Proving Affidavit attesting to what I just wrote above.

·      Who carries out the Testator’s wishes? The Executor.

• The Executor can also be a beneficiary of the Will, but it is not necessary.
• They can be a family member or a friend.
• They can be a trusted professional, like an attorney, a financial advisor or accountant.
• Most importantly, they need to trustworthy people.  Executors have a very important job and what is known as a “fiduciary responsibility” or duty to the beneficiaries. They must be accountable to the beneficiaries for all the assets in the estate, answer all questions, and ensure all assets are given to the named beneficiaries, in the manner intended and that the Estate closes properly.
• If an Executor does not do their job or if they steal from the Estate, you can have them removed.

There should ALWAYS be an alternate Executor named in the Will, in the event of the Executor’s death, illness, misconduct or deciding to step down from or discontinue the role.

What can go “in” a Will?

Almost everything.

Property: “real property” like a primary residence and other residential or commercial properties you may own.

Property: “personal property” like the objects within your home, your favorite watch, your grandmother’s china set, or your mother’s engagement ring or sentimental objects with great personal value but no great monetary one.

This category includes vehicles for the road, a vessel for the water or, why can’t it—an aircraft for flight in the skies.

Intellectual Property: music compositions or master recordings, original artwork, designs, manuscripts, your written work product or ideas etc. Anything you physically create or anything you create or own in the digital space or “cloud.” And this even includes access to your online accounts.

NOTE: There are more sophisticated techniques to protect property, but remember this Series is elemental. A Will is better than NO Will for almost any property. It’s protection. It is stated wishes, not guesswork.

I will briefly mention property that is non-probate and that can pass outside of a Court proceeding and, for some, AS LONG AS A (INSTITUTIONAL) BENEFICIARY FORM OR DESIGNATION has been completed:

·      Retirement accounts

·      Pension (plan)

·      Life Insurance

·      Property held by two people, a “joint tenancy with right of survivorship” or as “tenants by the entirety”

·      Property held in the name of a revocable or irrevocable Trust

·      Joint Savings Account (Checking accounts are not included here)

·      A bank account “held in Trust for” another person

This is your “primer” on the Last Will and Testament.

I bet you are wondering what happened to the adult son and his mother I mentioned at the beginning of this article? I told him that his mother’s bequests to him in the Last Will and Testament would not survive for the mere fact that he “drafted” a Will where he is an Executor and Beneficiary. If there were other irregularities in the Will drafting (which there were) and in the signing ceremony (which there likely were), the Will could be declared a nullity.

I never heard back from him.

You can’t help everyone, unfortunately.

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If you’d like to learn more about me and my law practice you can go here or, si hablas español, here.