Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Massachusetts

Re: change will

You need to create a codicil. This is a document which is attached to the will and has language which makes changes to the will. It must be signed with the same formalities as the will to be valid. Alternately, you might want to revoke the old will and draft a new one.

Please contact me or another attorney who handles estate planning -- I often find that when I ask clients questions about various issues, all sorts of things come up which they didn't realize were important to be reflected in the Will.

Re: change will

I agree with Alexandra. If you are looking to make changes to your will and greater estate plan, you should speak with an attorney.

Simply, a codicil will allow you to make a simple change to your will. However, even a simple change can have important consequences.

Please feel free to contact me should you have any further questions.

Re: change will

You can draft a codicil to your will removing someone from it. Such a change could have significant impact on your estate plan.

I would recommend you go the attorney who drafted your Will or another attorney for assistance.

Please feel free to contact me if you have more questions.

Re: change will

I agree with the advice of all of the attorneys. I recommend drafting a new will; if your estate plan is not complex, the cost would be about as much as drafting a codicil. If your estate plan is complex, you should also have a new estate plan drafted as your old will may not be as effective.

I recommend strongly that you hire an attorney to draft your estate plan. If a will is not executed properly,it is not valid; that is a major reason why you should hire a lawyer. There also may be some unintended tax consequences ( income and estate tax), that result from a poor estate plan. Don�t do it without an attorney. Feel free to call with any questions or concerns you have.