What do my parents need to do to get a will started and completed?

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What do my parents need to do to get a will started and completed?

My parents need to do a new Will; the one that they have now was done before they had kids and need to update it and change several things. Do they just need to do a new one or what? Is this something that they can do in a day, as they both work. They are in their 60’s.

Asked on August 11, 2011 Alabama

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 12 years ago | Contributor

An older will can be amended, but it's not recommended--if the amendment ("codicil") is not done correctly, the old will remains in force, and it's harder to "patch" an older will to accurately reflect changes than draft a new one.

The best thing to do is to find an attorney with evening or weekend hours--many do. Meet with the attorney once, bringing a copy of the old will, and discuss what you want done. The attorney can email or fax questions for you, as he or she fleshes it out, and/or send a draft of the will. Answer the questions and review the draft at your leisure. Once the terms are finalized, just pick another weekend or evening to get together to execute (sign) the will.


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