While continental and comparative lawyers have recently rediscovered succession law as an area of immense practical importance deserving greater academic attention, it is still a neglected field in England. This book aims to reinvigorate the English debate. It brings together contributions by leading academics and practitioners engaging with topical issues as well as questions of fundamental importance in succession law and estate planning. The book will be of interest to both academics and practitioners working in the field, and to non-English comparative lawyers.

The number of disputes involving trusts has risen significantly in recent years. Many disputes take place in the international environment and cross-border jurisdictional issues may arise. These disputes often involve large sums of money, impacting significantly on family relations. The handling of such disputes requires specialist skills and knowledge, including an understanding of how and why private trusts are established and administered and the problems that can arise; an awareness of the cross-jurisdictional issues that may be relevant; and the ability to identify practical legal solutions to the dispute that are compliant with trust principles. International Trust Disputes provides a comprehensive and thorough treatment of this topic. Acting as a specialist guide for practitioners, it offers a survey of the special considerations that may arise with regard to trust disputes as well as a definitive guide to the issues which may be encountered in the jurisdictions where disputes are most likely to take place.

Increasing numbers of people have connections with one country, but live and work in another, frequently owning property or investments in several countries. People with lifelong or subsequently developed impairments of capacity move cross-border or have property or family interests or connections spread across different jurisdictions. This new work fills a gap in a specialist market for a detailed work advising lawyers on all the considerations in these situations. The book provides a clear, comprehensive, and unique overview of all relevant capacity and private international law issues, and the existing solutions in common law and civil law jurisdictions and under Hague Convention XXXV. It sets out the existing law of various important jurisdictions, including detailed chapters on the constituent parts of the UK, Ireland, Jersey, the Isle of Man and the Hague 35 states; and shorter chapters on 26 Non-Hague states and those within federal states, including coverage of the United States, several Australian and Canadian states, and a number of other Commonwealth jurisdictions. Containing a number of helpful case studies and flowcharts, the book draws upon the expertise of the editors in their respective fields, together with detailed contributions from expert practitioners and academics from each relevant jurisdiction. All the editors and many of the contributors and correspondents are members of STEP.

The resulting trust has received little attention in recent years and this may be because, until relatively recently, the law relating to resulting trusts was thought to be settled and uncontroversial. Most of the current academic writing about resulting trusts is found in the established textbooks on equity and trusts, but these tend to provide little more than catalogues of the situations in which resulting trusts arise. There is, however, very little consensus on the principle by which the resulting trust operates, including the fundamental question whether it arises by opertaion of law or depends on the presumed intention to create a trust. This book examines the true nature of the resulting trust and the question whether the trusts brought into being to reverse unjust enrichment should not include resulting trusts. It then considers whether, when resulting trusts are properly understood, it does turn out that it is through the resulting trust that equity makes its principle contribution to reversing unjust enrichment. This book examines principally the case law of the UK, Canada and Australia, and it also makes reference to the views of academic commentators as found in the standard texts and law journals.

There is no room for error in the drafting of Wills because when a Will comes into effect the testator is not present to revise, amend, interpret or give instructions as to his intentions. This places a special onus on the drafter to be linguistically precise and technically correct. Failure to adhere to the minutiae of the technicalities and legalities have led to many a family dispute, costly litigation, and delays in the winding up of estates, causing both emotional and financial hardship to the family of the deceased. This practical guide, written by a specialist in the drafting of wills, covers all the processes, considerations and technicalities involved in correct and sound drafting of wills, covering details that are vital to good testamentary practice. It is essential reading and reference for all professionals involved in the drafting of wills and in the administration of deceased estates, including lawyers, accountants, tax advisers, bankers, insurers, and testators themselves. The book is based on the latest developments in the law and recent judgments pertaining to Wills. As both a practitioner and lecturer in the field of deceased estates, Ceris Field brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the subject of drafting of Wills.

Joyce Rogers sheds new light upon Shakespeare's last public words through her study of medieval and Renaissance ecclesiastical and testamentary laws and custom. Professor Rogers provides extensive background material on English legal history and shows that the legal documents of the time do give legal answer to the doubts and speculations that have grown up around Shakespeare's will. She shows how the will is replete with elements of civil and common as well as ecclesiastical law and custom, making more understandable the disputed points of Shakespeare's will, and establishing that the will was as correct, incontestable, and conventional as possible.

The main thrust of the book, however, is not on the law as such. It is on how the law was used by Shakespeare to serve the best interests and needs of the women and children in his family as well as the friends named therein. As such, the book will be invaluable to students and scholars of Elizabethan society and to all Shakespearean scholars.

This is a translation of a 12th century Sanskrit legal text, with the original text. The Dayabhaga was one of the most important texts in the history of Indian law. It is important because the British elevated it to such prominence in their new colony in the early 19th century. This text was taken as the authority on inheritance and significant aspects of family law for the eastern Indian region. The case law and scholarship that surround this text have shaped Indian personal law right up to the present day. Until now, there has been only one very inadequate English translation of this text (now 190 years old) - virtually without reference to the Sanskrit. This new translation will make this crucial text genuinely avaliable to those without Sanskrit for the first time.

This book is one of the first to link company law to the law of succession by concentrating on family businesses. It shows that, to understand the legal framework underlying the daily operations of family businesses, one needs legal analysis, empirical data, psychological and sociological knowledge. The book works on the premise that, since many businesses have been founded by families, practitioners need to develop an understanding of the legal background of such businesses and build up experience to be able to create contracts, trusts, foundations and other legal mechanisms to give shape to systems and procedures for the transfer of shares and control within the family. Comparing the national legal order, techniques, and mechanisms in a range of countries, the book examines parallel developments in these fields of law across the world. Finally, it demonstrates the room for companies, shareholders and the members of a family to develop individual solutions within the legal framework for transferring businesses and shares to the next generation.

"An invaluable tool to help you collect the information your attorney needs." --Michael Cragun, Utah State Tax Commissioner An Accessible Guide to Estate Planning With Estate Planning (in Plain English)(R), readers will learn to comprehend the legal jargon and navigate the complex rules involved in preparing one's estate. The authors provide clear information and cite actual cases to help readers approach the process with the confidence and knowledge they need to make the best decisions for their heirs. Chapters discuss important topics such as: Estate plans, wills, and a variety of trusts Guardians, powers of attorney, advance directives, and other essential documents Life insurance Digital assets Gifts Tax considerations Avoiding probate Identifying and caring for estate property Settling business assets Finding a lawyer An invaluable reference for those preparing their estates and for their families, Estate Planning (in Plain English)(R)will enable readers to take the necessary steps to preserve their legacies.

Succession, Wills and Probate is an ideal textbook for those taking an undergraduate course in this surprisingly vibrant subject, and also provides a clear and comprehensive introduction for professionals. Against an account of the main social and political themes of succession law, the book gives detailed explanations of core topics such as alternatives to wills and the making, altering and revocation of wills. It also explains personal representatives and how they should deal with a deceased person's estate and interpret and implement the will. Gifts may fail, estates may be insolvent or a person may die intestate, without a will at all. Increasingly relatives and others seek to challenge the will, for example on the grounds of the testator's capacity or under the law of family provision. This third edition is edited, updated and revised to take account of new legislation and case law across all the relevant issues, including a new final chapter dealing with the potentially contentious issues that are becoming more central to professional work in the field of succession.

In every Western democracy today, inheritances have a very profound influence on people's lives. This motivates renewed scholarship on inheritance law by philosophy and the legal sciences. The present volume aims to contribute to some ongoing areas of inquiry while also filling some gaps in research. It is organized in a highly interdisciplinary way. In the thirteen chapters of the book, written by outstanding philosophers and legal scholars, the following questions, among others, are discussed: What is the nature of the right to bequeath? What are the social functions of bequest and inheritance? What arguments concerning justice have philosophers and legal scholars advanced in favour or against practices of bequest and inheritance? How should we think about taxing the wealth transfers that occur in bequest and inheritance? In discussing these questions, the authors break new ground and offer much needed insight into several related domains, such as the philosophy of law; legal theory; general and applied ethics; social and political philosophy; theories of justice; and the history of legal, political, and economic thought. This book will be of great interest to scholars in these areas as well as policy-makers.

With cross-border successions becoming increasingly common in the context of the European Union, this timely book offers a systematic practical analysis of how cross-border successions should be treated, including examination of which courts may establish jurisdiction over succession disputes and which law governs such disputes. Key Features: Practical analysis of the provisions of the EU Succession Regulation Consideration of issues at the intersection between cross-border successions and taxation Analysis of the specificities of the European Certificate of Succession and its interface with national laws Study of cross-border successions in the context of both estate planning and the opening and liquidation of a succession Contextualization of the EU Succession Regulation in the framework of the national law and practice of several EU Member States A comprehensive study of EU cross-border succession law with global reach, this book is an invaluable source of reference and guidance for practitioners specialising in estate planning, family law and property law, including judges, notaries, tax specialists and lawyers. Scholars of European succession law and conflict of laws will also find this book's critical analysis an instrumental tool in their research.

Planning how to pass your estate on doesn't have to mean complications, legal jargon and huge bills. "Wills, Probate and Inheritance Tax For Dummies, 2nd Edition" takes you through the process step-by-step and gives you all the information you need to ensure that your affairs are left in good order. It shows you how to plan and write your will, minimise the stress of probate, and ensure that your nearest and dearest are protected from a large inheritance tax bill.

Discover how to: Decide if a will is right for you Value your assets Leave your home through a will Appoint executors and trustees Choose beneficiaries Draw up a DIY will Work out how inheritance tax works and if you're liable to it Find out what can and can't be taxed

The fate of the dead is a compelling and emotive subject, which also raises increasingly complex legal questions. This book focuses on the substantive laws around disposal of the recently deceased and associated issues around their post-mortem fate. It looks primarily at the laws in England and Wales but also offers a comparative approach, drawing heavily on material from other common law jurisdictions including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. The book provides an in-depth, contextual and comparative analysis of the substantive laws and policy issues around corpse disposal, exhumation and the posthumous treatment of the dead, including commemoration. Topics covered include: the legal frameworks around burial, cremation and other disposal methods; the hierarchy of persons who have a legal duty to dispose of the dead and who are entitled to possession of the deceased's remains; offences against the dead; family burial disputes, and the legal status of burial instructions; the posthumous use of donated bodily material; and the rules around disinterment, and creating an appropriate memorial. A key theme of the book will be to look at the manner in which conflicts involving the dead are becoming increasingly common in secular, multi-cultural societies where the traditional nuclear family model is no longer the norm, and how such legal contests are resolved by courts. As the first comprehensive survey of the laws in this area for decades, this book will be of use to academics, lawyers and judges adjudicating on issues around the fate of the dead, as well as the death industry and funeral service providers.

Donations, Inheritance and Property in the Nordic and Western World from Late Antiquity until Today presents an examination of Nordic donation and gift-giving practices in the Nordic and Western world, beginning in late Antiquity and extending through to the present day. Through chapters contributed by leading international researchers, this book explores the changing legal, social and religious frameworks that shape how donations and gifts are given. In addition to donations to ecclesiastical, charitable and cultural institutions, this books also highlights the sociolegal challenges and the tensions that can occur as a result of transferring property, including answering key questions such as who has a right to what. It also presents, for the first time, an insight into the dynamics of donations and the interplay between individual motivations, strategic behaviour and the legal setting of inheritance law. Offering a broad chronological and European perspective and including a wide range of illuminating case studies Donations, Inheritance and Property in the Nordic and Western World from Late Antiquity until Today is ideal for students of Nordic and European legal and social history.

This invaluable book really will enable you to prepare your own will. It will alert you to the many and broad ranging matters you should consider, and covers factual and legal requirements and technicalities in language that the lay-person can understand. Author, Gordon Bowley, draws on his thirty years as a family solicitor to suggest the best and most effective ways of ensuring that your estate is easy to deal with by those you leave behind and that it goes to those who you want to benefit. This revised and updated 4th edition includes changes in recent legislation and case law. It includes: - Advice on choosing executors - Specimen forms, sample wills and sample clauses - A glossary clearly explaining any necessary legal terms - Guidance on inheritance tax and tax saving in your will - Information on Living Wills and Powers of Attorney

Ninety-three per cent of people who have made a will in the UK have not included any provision for their digital assets when they die. It is therefore vital that all practitioners involved in drafting wills and estate planning discuss with their clients what will happen to their digital estate on their death. This book explains the practical and legal aspects of planning for and administering a digital estate: * what constitutes a digital asset; * digital assets and the law; * how to consider digital assets when drafting wills; * dealing with digital assets after death; * the digitisation of wills and will signing; and * financial abuse and digital assets. The book provides guidance and precedents for dealing with digital assets when drafting wills and also covers issues such as the risks for solicitors, data security, access rights and valuing digital assets. A template for a digital assets inventory is also included.

Clignet's analysis of inheritance patterns in modern America is the fi rst sustained treatment of the subject by a sociologist. Clignet shows that even today inheritance serves to perpetuate both familial wealth and familial relations. He examines what leads decedents to chose particular legal instruments (wills, trusts, insurance policies, gifts "inter vivos") and how, in turn, the instrument chosen helps explain the extent and the form of inequalities in bequests, of a result of the gender or matrimonial status of the beneficiaries.

The author's major is to identify and explain the most signifi cant sources of variations in the amount and the direction of transfers of wealth after death in the United States. He uses two kinds of primary data: estate tax returns fi led by a sample of male and female benefi ciaries to estates in 1920 and 1944, representing two successive generations of estate transfers, and publicly recorded legal instruments such as wills and trusts. In addition, Clignet draws widely on secondary sources in the fi elds of anthropology, economics, and history. His fi ndings reflect substantive and methodological concerns. Th e analysis underlines the need to rethink the sociology of generational bonds, as it is informed by age and gender.

"Death, Deeds, and Descendants" underscores the variety of forms of inequality that bequests take and highlights the complexity of interrelations between the cultures of the decedents' nationalities and issues like occupation and gender. Inheritance is viewed as a way of illuminating the subtle tensions between continuity and change in American society. This book is an important contribution to the study of the relationship between sociology of the family and sociology of social stratification.

Launching a major new research project examining the principles of succession law in comparative perspective, this book discusses the formalities which the law imposes in order for a person to make a testamentary disposal of property. Among the questions considered are the following. How are wills made? What precisely are the rules - as to the signature of the testator, the use of witnesses, the need for a notary public or lawyer, and so on? Is there is a choice of will-type and, if so, which type is used most often and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each? How common is will-making or do most people die intestate? What happens if formalities are not observed? How can requirements of form be explained and justified? How did the law develop historically, what is the state of the law today, and what are the prospects for the future? The focus is on Europe, and on countries which have been influenced by the European experience. Thus in addition to giving a detailed treatment of the law in Austria, Belgium, England and Wales, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain, the book explores legal developments in Australia, New Zealand, the United States of America, and in some of the countries of Latin America with a particular emphasis on Brazil. It also includes chapters on two of the mixed jurisdictions - Scotland and South Africa - and on Islamic Law. The book opens with chapters on Roman law and on the early modern law in Europe, thus setting the historical scene as well as anticipating and complementing the accounts of national history which appear in subsequent chapters; and it concludes with an assessment of the overall development of the law in the countries surveyed, and with some wider reflections on the nature and purpose of testamentary formalities.

An authoritative, accessible guide to administering an estate The majority of applications for probate that follow someone's death can be dealt with inexpensively by any reasonably intelligent person with time available and a little guidance. This easy-to-follow book clearly explains all the information you need to administer the deceased's estate, from dealing with the urgent practical matters to preparing and submitting the relevant forms, paying inheritance tax, and distributing the estate. You'll find specimen forms and letters and a list of useful addresses that will enable you to deal with it all yourself. Contents: Preface; 1. What is probate, when is it necessary and what is involved? 2. Who can and should wind up the estate; 3. Getting started; 4. Next steps; 5. From preparing and submitting the forms to distributing the estate; 6. Distributing the estate; Appendices: 1. Specimen forms and letters; 2. Useful addresses; 3. Glossary; Index.