Can I write my own will, without a witness, by myself and just sign it?

Can I write my own will, without a witness, by myself and just sign it?

On some television shows or movies people just write their own will with a pen and piece of paper. When a will is entirely self-written by the testator (the person whose will it is) and unwitnessed it is a holographic will. In New York, this type of will is generally not valid.  There are a few exceptions, where this type of will would be valid in New York including if it was written by a member of the armed forces during a war or written by a mariner at sea..these are however narrow exceptions.

If the handwritten will was properly witnessed and executed then the will might be valid and probable. If you have questions as to whether a self-written will is valid in New York you should contact a New York estate attorney.  If you don’t have a valid will then your estate may be distributed intestacy and your things may not end up being distributed to the people you intended.

If you wish to speak to a New York estate attorney, call the Law Offices of Albert Goodwin at (212) 233-1233.