Can I Make a Change In My Already Existing New York Will?
If you try to make changes to your will by writing in the actual New York will, the changes will most likely be disregarded at the time the will is probated. It is important to work with an estate lawyer that will look at your particular situation and explain the best course of action under New York law for you. In New York there are only two ways a person can make changes to an already existing will. The first way is to write a new will which revokes and replaces the first will. This may be a good option if the changes to your estate distribution are significant. This subsequent will needs to be properly executed just as the first will was. The second way is to execute a codicil. A codicil is basically an amendment to the first will (it is duly executed just like a will). Codicils may be valid options to amend the first will if the codicil changes only part of the first will.
If you need to amend or change a will in a valid way, speak to a New York estate attorney with offices in New York City. Call the Law Offices of Albert Goodwin at (212) 233-1233.
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.
