Under certain circumstances people have made their final wishes known in various different ways. You may have seen Western movies back in the day that depicted gunslingers scribbling out a last will on a bar napkin before taking to Main Street at high noon. These types of wills are technically called holographic wills, and believe it or not they are accepted in some jurisdictions even if they are not witnessed.
It is also possible to elucidate your wishes without putting anything in writing at all. Oral wills have been used and accepted as well, usually under dire circumstances when the individual in question could not commit his or her intentions to writing for one reason or another.
These days we have do-it-yourself wills that you can buy on the Internet. You just download the handy-dandy fill in the blanks generic form and the entirety of the assets that you been able to accumulate throughout your life will quickly and effectively land in the hands of your loved ones after you pass away.
Or at least this is what the Internet marketers would have you believe.
In reality, the only way to be certain that your will is going to be recognized by the probate court is to work with a professional to execute the document. Each jurisdiction is different and depending on your unique situation certain steps may be required to make sure that there are no challenges and that your wishes wind up being carried out to the letter.
Don’t take risks with something so important. If you are interested in having an ironclad last will drawn up, simply arrange for an appointment with a licensed Hartford estate planning lawyer.
Mr. Nirenstein is licensed to practice before the courts of the State of Connecticut and the United States District Court. He is a member of the Connecticut and Hartford County Bar Associations, and the Estate and Probate, Elder Law, Business Law and Real Estate Sections of the Connecticut Bar Association.
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