Most of the issues that can pop up with wills in Farmville, North Carolina, like challenges to the will's validity, can be avoided if the will is well-drafted in the first place.

If your estate does not have a large amount of assets, your assets are limited to cash and personal belongings, and you wish to leave all your property to your immediate family and friends, the process of drafting your will is likely to be fairly simple.

But even if the will is comparatively simple, some preventable problems can derail the process. An accomplished lawyer in Farmville, North Carolina who specializes in wills and estate planning can help make sure that this doesn't happen to your will.

With most wills, certain formalities have to be followed in the drafting process or will preparation, or else the will might not be legitimate. In general, these formalities exist with the goal of making fraud more challenging. The requirements for a will to be valid are pretty simple, but it's still possible to make mistakes in attempting to follow them. Most especially, you should know that a will must contain a provision stating that the person making it is of sound mind, and really intends the document to be a will. Furthermore, the laws of most states require that wills be witnessed and signed by at least 2 neutral parties.

Holographic Wills in Farmville, North Carolina

If you need to make a will quickly, some states authorize you to write a "holographic will." This is simply a will which the testator hand-writes. These types of wills don't need to be witnessed.

Assuming that a holographic will is valid in your state, a court will probably interpret it very liberally, acknowledging the fact that it likely wasn't written by a lawyer. This is to make it much easier to really give your wishes effect.

But you should be aware that not all states authorize holographic wills. In these states, you are still authorized to hand write your will if you so desire, but they must be accompanied by all the formalities necessary by the law of that state.

If your state recognizes them, a holographic will might be a good option if you have a very small estate, and wish to make very simple devises. Nonetheless, it is never a bad idea to at least have an attorney review your will for completeness and clarity, even if you aren't having the attorney draft it from scratch.

How Can A Farmville, North Carolina Lawyer Help?

Because of the formalities required in drafting wills, it's never a bad idea to have a seasoned Farmville, North Carolina attorney help in making your will. Even if your will is quite simple, and you have all the formalities figured out, it's still easy to make mistakes without a good once-over by a professional.