Laboratory/Discussion - 2 hours. This hands-on, experiential course is designed to provide the students the practical skills and familiarity needed to practice law in the area of estate planning and probate/trust administration. Through discussion and drafting of documents, the students will learn the basic laws, practices, resources, and techniques commonly utilized today. The class will follow a typical estate planning client from initial client interview through end of life administration, enabling the students to draft actual estate plan documents including wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and transfer documents required to establish funds, and administer the estate plan during the client’s lifetime and then through post-mortem administration of the estate, including drafting formal probate and non-court administration documents. A series of related topics will be explored, including issues of capacity, elder abuse, end of life decision making, non-probate transfers of wealth, and litigation involving will/trust contests, creditor claims, recovery of assets, and accounting disputes.
Graduation Requirements: Counts towards Professional Skills Requirement.
Prerequisites: Trusts, Wills & Estates recommended.