Taxation & Estate Planning

I am sometimes asked by my clients if there will be a "reading of the will", and the answer is almost always "no."  These days, there is generally no formal gathering at the attorney's office where the will is read to the heirs, no shocking revelations like in the movies.  And given that people often live far away from each other, trying to gather everyone together might just be impractical.  Most everything involving the probate of a will can be done by mail. 

One of the reasons for having all the heirs gather in the past was to obtain their assent to the will, in order to avoid the necessity of having to "prove" the will.  These days, wills usually contain self-proving affidavits which make it unnecessary to prove the will.   All of the heirs will still be notified of the probate of the will and given the chance to object to it if they wish. 

If you love those movies with the dramatic will-reading scenarios, you might like the opening scene in the book The Testament by John Grisham.