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Simple English definitions for legal terms
statute of wills
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A quick definition of statute of wills:
The Statute of Wills is a law that allows people to decide who will inherit their property after they die. It was first created in England in 1540 and has since been adopted by many states in the United States. This law requires people to make a will, which is a legal document that outlines their wishes for their property. It's important to follow the rules of the Statute of Wills when making a will to ensure that it is valid and legally binding.
A more thorough explanation:
The Statute of Wills is a law that allows people to decide what happens to their property after they die. There are two types of Statute of Wills:
- English Statute of Wills: This law was created in 1540 in England. It gave people the right to leave their real property (like land and buildings) to whoever they wanted in their will.
- State Statute of Wills: This law is created by individual states in the United States. It is usually based on the English Statute of Wills and allows people to make a will that determines what happens to their property after they die.
For example, let's say that John owns a house and wants to leave it to his daughter when he dies. He can use the Statute of Wills to create a will that says his daughter will inherit the house. Without the Statute of Wills, John's property would be distributed according to the laws of the state where he lives, which might not give his daughter the house.
The Statute of Wills is important because it allows people to have control over what happens to their property after they die. It also helps prevent disputes between family members over who should inherit property.