Wills, Trusts, and Estate Administration,
9th Edition

1. The Estate Plan, and the Purpose and Need for a Will.
2. The Concept of Property Related to Wills, Trusts, and Estate Administration.
3. The Law of Succession: Death Testate or Intestate.
4. Wills: Validity Requirements, Modification, Revocation, and Contests.
5. Preparation to Draft a Will: Checklists and the Conference with the Client.
6. Final Draft and Execution of a Valid Will.
7. The Participants and the Proper Court.
8. Personal Representatives: Types, Pre-Probate Duties, and Appointment.
9. Probate and Estate Administration.
10. Informal Probate Administration.
11. Tax Considerations in the Administration of Estates.
12. Introduction to Trusts.
13. Classification of Trusts, the Living Trust, and Other Special Trusts.
14. Estate Planning.
15. Long-Term Care.
Appendix A: Sample Forms
Appendix B: Sample Marital Deduction Testamentary Trust.
Glossary.
Index.

• Janis Walter

  Janis Walter, professor emeritus, teaches part-time at the University of Cincinnati’s ABA-approved paralegal program. She has served as chair of the ABA’s Approval Commission on Paralegals and was a member of the Standing Committee. She participates as a Specially Designated Commissioner for the ABA on site visits across the U.S. Professor Walter is also an active member of the American Association for Paralegal Education, where she served as editor of the Paralegal Educator. She has presented at many different forums on topics ranging from teaching effectiveness to handling adoptions. Professor Waler authored The Ohio Courts, a series of widely popular case studies covering civil litigation, criminal law and family law, and she developed three learning labs for a virtual law office. Professor Walter holds a bachelor's degree in political science and a law degree from Salmon P. Chase College of Law. She is licensed to practice law in Kentucky and Ohio and before the United States Supreme Court. She still practices in the areas of estate law, family law and personal injury.

• Emma Wright

  Emma Wright Fletcher is assistant professor and program coordinator in the Paralegal Studies Program at the University of Cincinnati. In addition to teaching in a traditional classroom setting, Professor Wright Fletcher has implemented distance learning classes into the university's paralegal program and has integrated technology into her traditional classes. She has participated in numerous site visits on behalf of the American Bar Association’s Approval Commission. She is also a member of the American Association for Paralegal Education. In addition, she is a partner in the Wright Law Group, where she focuses her practice on estate administration, family law and criminal law. Professor Wright Fletcher holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati and a law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law. She is licensed to practice law in Ohio.

• NEW MATERIAL DETAILS THE NEW UNIFORM ELECTRONIC WILLS ACT AND RELATED CHANGES. Students learn how the new Uniform Electronic Wills Act has expanded the execution of wills from physical signings to electronic wills. New discussion introduces this major law, examines requirements for a self-proving will and reviews concerns for potential abuse. Content prepares paralegals to discuss this new act with supervising attorneys to determine the best processes for their individual law offices.

• NEW COVERAGE ALERTS READERS TO THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE UNIFORM PARTITION OF HEIRS' PROPERTY ACT (UPHPA). New material explains how this act can protect family members who inherit land through a will or intestacy from a partition of the property, forced sale or less than fair market value for their shares. Students learn how the UPHPA provides due process protections to ensure that all parties receive a fair share of the proceeds. This introduction alerts paralegals to consider the implications of the UPHPA, if it is applicable to cases on the job.

• NEW DISCUSSIONS REVIEW IMPACTS RELATED TO THE TAX CUTS AND JOBS ACT OF 2017. New coverage demonstrates how this tax reform has made significant change in estate taxes by temporarily doubling the federal exemption amount and has effectively eliminated the federal estate tax for all but the wealthiest. Students gain an understanding of why federal tax returns may no longer be necessary for many estates.

• NEW COVERAGE DETAILS THE SPECIAL NEEDS TRUST TO PREPARE PARALEGALS FOR ON-THE-JOB DECISIONS. Readers learn how this trust for a disabled beneficiary enables the individual to receive the benefits of trust property as well as needs-based governmental assistance. With this understanding, paralegals who conduct initial intake interviews know to alert supervising attorneys when a client has a disabled beneficiary to ensure that the estate plan protects the interest of this beneficiary.

• NEW CONTENT ADDRESSES THE REVISED UNIFORM FIDUCIARY ACCESS TO DIGITAL ASSETS ACT. Readers learn how this updated act gives fiduciaries the right to administer a decedent’s digital assets while maintaining privacy concerns of owners and providing legal protection to custodians of the digital assets. This helpful new discussion even includes sample updated clauses for wills to assist the paralegal in drafting preliminary estate documents.

• NEW INFORMATION PREPARES PARALEGALS TO FACILITATE FAMILY MEETINGS AS PART OF ESTATE PLANNING. Today's paralegals often need to facilitate or co-facilitate family meetings, which are used more frequently today to allow transparency regarding estate and health care decisions and to avoid possible conflicts or surprises upon the testator’s demise.

• UPDATED PROBATE AND TAX FORMS ENSURE STUDENTS KNOW HOW TO WORK WITH THE MOST CURRENT DOCUMENTS. Today's paralegals are often responsible for creating initial documents under the supervision of an attorney. The most recent forms and clear instructions throughout this edition equip paralegals in preparing these initial documents with confidence.

• AUTHORS APPLY MEANINGFUL INSIGHTS FROM DECADES OF LEGAL EXPERIENCE. This perennially best-selling text distills the authors' more than fifty years of combined experience in teaching and practicing law into a comprehensive, up-to-date inviting resource that students can use both now and throughout their careers.

• INTELLIGENT, PROVEN STUDY FEATURES REINFORCE STUDENT COMPREHENSION. Key terms in the margins draw student attention to essential topics, while chapter review questions effectively review material after every section to reinforce understanding.

• CHALLENGING CASE PROBLEMS GUIDE STUDENTS IN APPLYING COURSE CONCEPTS TO TRUE-TO-LIFE PROBLEMS. This edition's engaging Case Problems help students interpret findings on their own. By applying state-specific laws to each matter, they see the different ways a court might rule.

• HELPFUL SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS GUIDE STUDENTS THROUGH IMPORTANT PROCESSES. This edition incorporates the latest probate and tax forms to help students visualize the processes of probate and estate administration from start to finish.

• ETHICAL ISSUE FEATURES EMPHASIZE THIS IMPORTANT ASPECT OF LAW TODAY. Meaningful and memorable features focus attention on important ethical concerns related to the procedures discussed in each chapter and prepare students to make critical ethical decisions throughout their careers.

Cengage provides a range of supplements that are updated in coordination with the main title selection. For more information about these supplements, contact your Learning Consultant.

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