Many of us know the satisfaction that comes from figuring out how to change
out a light fixture or get to the bottom of a dripping faucet. On the
other hand, many of us have also experienced the sinking feeling of a
do-it-yourself project gone wrong: a gushing faucet that requires immediate
professional attention or a light that won’t turn on. With home
repairs, your success, or lack thereof, becomes evident fairly quickly.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for do-it-yourself estate planning.
Oftentimes, the mistakes made when individuals write their own wills are
not discovered until it is too late to fix them.
This article explores the laws surrounding “do-it-yourself”
wills and discusses how writing your own will can affect your estate.
Will it Be Valid?
Louisiana, like many other states, has laws in place that allow individuals
to draft Olographic Testaments (the legal term for a self-drafted will).
Under our laws, this type of will need only be entirely handwritten, dated,
and signed by the testator (the person writing the will) in order to be
valid in form.
Many of the self-drafted wills I see are invalid because part or all of
the will has been typed, there is no date, or the person writing the will
forgot to sign it. This renders the will invalid and unenforceable.
Unfortunately, even when a self-drafted will meets all of these requirements,
it often does not accomplish the estate planning goals of its author.
Worse yet, if a succession is needed, a valid self-drafted will, even
one that does not accomplish its author's goals, must be probated
and its terms must be followed.
Is it Going to Accomplish Your Goals?
The most important question to answer with a handwritten will, and the
one most difficult for an individual to determine without legal assistance,
is whether or not the will he is drafting is meeting all of his objectives.
Most individuals have three main goals in drafting their own wills: to
direct the distribution of their property, to save money, and to keep
things simple. In almost every situation, it is more difficult for an
individual to accomplish these goals with a handwritten will, rather than
one prepared by a knowledgeable attorney.
When individuals write their own wills, they typically use language that
is familiar to them to describe their wishes. The language that they use
may or may not be legally sufficient to accomplish their goals and may
cause confusion during the administration of the estate.
For example, John Doe may write "I want all of my property to go
to Jane." Was it his intent for everything he owned to go to Jane
or did the word "property" only refer to his land? The answer
to that question does not just depend on what John thought the word “property”
meant; it also depends on what a Judge, who has never met John, thought
he meant when he used that word.Imprecise language like this can bog down
an estate with months of litigation, all the while incurring unnecessary
expenses. A properly drafted will addresses this issue, and many others,
with precise language that has been defined in Louisiana law and case-tested
in Louisiana courts.
Is it Going to Complicate Your Estate?
In addition to jeopardizing your estate planning goals with unclear language,
a self-drafted will can delay the administration of your estate by failing
to include language that can allow your estate to pass quickly through
our court system.
When someone passes away, a succession (also called a “probate proceeding”)
is usually required in order to settle the person's estate and distribute
his or her property. If the will does not specifically permit the Executor
of the estate to act independently on behalf of the succession, the Executor
may need to jump through additional legal hoops in order to receive, maintain,
and distribute estate property. Even the simplest will drafted by a knowledgeable
attorney can avoid these potential pitfalls and ensure a speedy and straightforward
settlement of the estate. At the very least, it is a good idea to have
your handwritten will reviewed by an attorney.
If you'd like to know more, or if you'd like to set up a complimentary
consultation to discuss your estate planning, please call us at (225)
615-0532 or email us at leger@legerlawgroup.com
DO IT YOURSELF ESTATE PLANNING: DRAFTING YOUR OWN WILL
Posted By
Leger Law Group, LLC