Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Louisiana

Re: Simplicity of a Will

Dear LawGuru Friend:

An holographic will is legal in Louisiana; and if it was properly executed in Louisiana, it should be sufficient to convey one's estate, even in Texas, to the legatees named in the Louisiana olographic will. The only requirements for an olographic will in Louisiana are that it must be "entirely written, dated and signed by the hand of the testator." Of course, it must purport to be a will; that is, it must be clear from from the hand-written document itself that the testator intended it to be his last will and testament. Of course, holographic means handwritten. Typing it on a typewriter and then signing and dating is not necessarily sufficient to contitute a valid will in Louisiana, even having it Notarized. A typewritten will must comply with certain other requirements of form. Of course, you did not ask about that; I just threw it in for general information. I notice that in the form you included in your question you did not include the date the holographic will was executed. I assume the date was included in the original will. If not, it is not a valid holographic will. If you have any more questions that I can help you with, feel free to contact me at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Hardy Parkerson, Atty.

Lake Charles, LA