What Every Lawyer Should Know About Ethical Wills

• Citation: Vol. 28 No. 6 Pg. 6
• Publication year: 2005
• Pages: 6
• Year: 2005
• topic: Business of Law,Family Law,Wills, Trusts and Estates

Wyoming Bar Journal 2005.

Vol. 28, No. 6 #6 (December 2005). What Every Lawyer Should Know About Ethical Wills

WYOMING LAWYER
December 2005/Vol. XXVIII, No. 6

What Every Lawyer Should Know About Ethical Wills

By Patricia Wilhite McCartney

No matter what your area of practice, there is an old process that is making a sweeping impression on the legal profession Lawyers across the country are discovering how the incorporation of ethical wills, can change the way they practice

Although not legal in their form or effect, life testaments/ethical wills are gaining recognition as a valuable asset to the services they offer.

The history of ethical wills is long standing, dating back thousands of years. Unlike the wills we learned to draft in law school, their ethical counterparts are more philosophical, emotional and inspirational in nature. Rather than being strictly property based, ethical wills are primarily value oriented, intending to convey an individuals hopes, dreams, values, beliefs traditions and heritage.

Once limited to oral form, over the span of several centuries, ethical wills are now more commonly communicated in writing. Transcribed on archival paper, the permanent format better allows the author to preserve its content for generations beyond the writer's own. Somewhat deceptive in their name, the application and benefits of ethical wills transcend into virtually every area of practice. A few of these are discussed below.

Most obvious, ethical wills are a significant contribution to any estate planning practice. The inclusion of ethical will preparation among...