Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Texas

Re: The legality of notarized wills

Mr. White was being nice. It's flat-out impossible to make that determination without seeing the documents.

Re: The legality of notarized wills

It is difficult to ascertain whether a will is "legal and will be taken seriously . . . and will hold up in court" without seeing the documents. For general information I can tell you that in Texas a will that is wholly in the handwriting of the person making the will can be admitted to probate. A type written will with two witnesses can be admitted to probate, whether or not notarized. However, I also might point out that lawyers can make much more money litigating contests over home-made wills which are ambiguous, incomplete, have bad property descriptions, etc.

If you are going to write your own will, be sure to write clearly. Clearly state the names of the executor and the beneficiaries, and preferably use fractions or portions rather than trying to specifically describe property (which frequently is messed up). Do not copy phrases from other documents merely because you saw it in another document. If you try to write trust provisions or limit use of the property for a period of time or put conditions in the will, there is a greater the chances of messing it up.