Wills allow individuals to avoid the state’s guidelines about who gets what portion of a decedent’s estate. They also allow people to call their executors, name a guardian for their children and bequeath specific products to certain individuals. If a will is not appropriately carried out, the will can be revoked and the rules of intestacy (dying without a will) can apply.

Purpose of a Witness

Having a witness is required in many jurisdictions because of the potential that a person was under pressure or not of sound mind at the time that he or she signed the will. A witness assists to verify the will as being representative of the testator’s last wishes.

Holographic Wills

Many states allow holographic wills. These wills usually do not need to be seen. There might be state laws that require that the whole or that product provisions of the will be in the testator’s handwriting. If this requirement is not met, such as by a testator handwriting in specific information in blanks on will design templates, the will would need to satisfy the guidelines of confirmed, or witnessed, wills. Otherwise, it could be invalidated.

Noncupative Wills

Some jurisdictions permit nuncupative, or oral, wills. These wills may be deathbed wills that are developed upon need when death impends. Jurisdictions vary as to the requirements of witnesses. However, most jurisdictions that enable nuncupative wills require there to be a minimum of 2 witnesses to the will. Among the witnesses may be accountable for making a note of or directing someone to compose down the content that the dying specific requested in the will.

Attested Wills

Other types of wills, such as those prepared by an attorney or typed out, usually need witnesses. The Uniform Probate Code, adopted at least in part by 20 states by the year 2015, requires the signature of 2 witnesses.

Rules on Witnesses

Generally, a witness need to be at least 18 years old. There are exceptions to this guideline. For instance, Texas allows witnesses who are at least 14 years old. For attested wills, most states require two witnesses.

Responsibility of Witnesses

A witness must be able to affirm that the official event and execution actions were fulfilled. The witness might need to be able to state that he was asked to sign the file which was determined as the testator’s will. In addition, a witness may need to state that she remained in the existence of the testator at the time that she signed the will. A witness may likewise be inquired about whether the testator seemed of sound mind and understood the will’s production and its contents when he or she signed it. The witness does not usually need to check out the will itself just to affirm about it.