Tag Archives: Aretha Franklin Handwritten Will

Does a Handwritten Will Always Make it Clear Whether the Maker Was of Sound Mind?

This post continues the topic of the law few posts: why does the law require most forms of wills to have witnesses, but the law does not require witnesses for handwritten or holographic wills? The last post looked at the … more

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Does the Writing Always Make It Clear Who Wrote a Handwritten Will?

In the last post in this series on holographic wills, we discussed why the law does not require witnesses for holographic wills. The logic seems to be: examining a handwritten will can give many of the same protections that witnesses … more

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Holographic Wills Require No Other Form

The holographic will statute in Oklahoma has a number of “musts.” Those have been the subject of the last few blog posts in this series. Namely in order to be valid, holographic wills must be: -Entirely Handwritten; -Handwritten by the … more

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Holographic Wills Must Be Signed

This blog post is the fourth in a series looking at the specifics of what Oklahoma law requires in order to have a valid holographic or handwritten will. The first three requirements are: -Entirely Handwritten; -Handwritten by the testator/maker; –Dated; … more

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Holographic Wills Must Be Dated

The last few blog posts have looked at the law on handwritten or holographic wills in Oklahoma. They can become major issues in estates, as the Aretha Franklin estate illustrates. The major requirements for a holographic will have been laid … more

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Entirely in the Testator’s HANDWRITING

The last blog post in this series on handwritten or holographic wills had this title: Entirely in TESTATOR’S handwriting. The point of that title was to emphasize the handwriting must be the testator’s. Whether out of noble motives, such as … more

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Entirely in the TESTATOR’S Handwriting

In the last post we looked at the basic rule for a valid handwritten or “holographic” will in Oklahoma. The first requirement is that it must be “entirely written . . . by the hand of the testator himself,” as … more

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Handwritten Wills in Oklahoma

The topic of handwritten wills has gained interest recently because of developments in the Aretha Franklin estate. Basic Questions So what is the law? Can handwritten wills be legally valid? Can a Court or Judge admit a handwritten will to … more

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Did Aretha Franklin Leave a Handwritten Will?

Did Aretha Franklin leave a handwritten will? Or several handwritten Wills? That is what the Detroit Free Press is reporting. Previously Thought No Will It was previously reported by the same source and others that Aretha Franklin died without a … more

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