Wills and Trusts

This course is about people, living and dead, their relationships, and their property.  More specifically, it is about the rights of property owners to pass their property on to others when they die.  This is the law of succession.  American law on this subject is based on the principle that though you can’t take your property with you when you die, you are free to direct what happens to it thereafter. 

The course is a survey of the law and policy supporting that principle and the limits on it.  It aims to acquaint you with the pleasures and pitfalls of practicing in this area and therefore we will be interested in drafting and professional responsibility as those issues arise throughout the course.