Succession Laws: Consultation Paper I Wills

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Succession Laws: Consultation Paper I Wills SUCCESSION LAWS Succession Laws CONSULTATION PAPER WILLS Succession Laws CONSULTATION PAPER WILLS PAPER CONSULTATION GPO Box 4637 Melbourne Victoria 3001 Australia Level 3 333 Queen Street Melbourne Victoria 3000 Australia Telephone +61 3 8608 7800 Freecall 1300 666 555 (within Victoria) 11 Fax +61 3 8608 7888 Email [email protected] www.lawreform.vic.gov.au VICTORIAN LAW REFORM COMMISSION VICTORIAN LAW Succession Laws consultation papers 11 Wills 12 Family Provision 13 Intestacy 14 Executors 15 Debts 16 Small Estates Printed on 100% recycled paper Published by the Victorian Law Reform Commission CHAIR The Hon Philip Cummins* The Victorian Law Reform Commission was established under the Victorian Law Reform Commission Act 2000 SPECIALIST COMMISSIONER as a central agency for developing law reform in Victoria. Dr Ian Hardingham QC* This report reflects the law as at October 2012. PART-TIME COMMISSIONERS Bruce Gardner PSM © Victorian Law Reform Commission 2012. Saul Holt SC This work is protected by the laws of copyright. Except The Hon David Jones AM* for any uses permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) Eamonn Moran PSM QC* or equivalent overseas legislation, no part of this work The Hon Frank Vincent AO QC may be reproduced, in any matter or in any medium, * Commissioners involved in this reference without the written permission of the publisher. CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER All rights reserved. Merrin Mason This publication of the Victorian Law Reform Commission REFERENCE TEAM follows the Melbourne University Law Review Association Inc, Lindy Smith (team leader) Australian Guide to Legal Citation (3rd ed, 2010). Mia Hollick Natalie Lilford Joanna O’Donohue VLRC consultation paper number 11 Elena Markushina (intern) ISBN 978-0-9872222-3-7 COVER DESIGN Succession Laws consultation papers Letterbox 11 Wills TEXT LAYOUT 12 Family Provision GH2 design 13 Intestacy 14 Executors EDITOR 15 Debts Kath Harper 16 Small Estates This publication is printed on 100% recycled paper. The paper is Forest Stewardship Council Certified to contain pulp from 100% post-consumer waste and is Made Carbon and Process Chlorine Free. Succession Laws CONSULTATION PAPER WILLS Victorian Law Reform Commission GPO Box 4637 Melbourne Victoria 3001 Australia DX 144, Melbourne Level 3, 333 Queen Street Melbourne Victoria 3000 Australia Telephone: +61 3 8608 7800 Freecall: 1300 666 555 (within Victoria) Fax: +61 3 8608 7888 Email: [email protected] Internet: www.lawreform.vic.gov.au Victorian Law Reform Commission Succession Laws: Consultation Paper I Wills Contents Call for submissions ...................................................................................................................4 Terms of reference .....................................................................................................................6 Glossary ......................................................................................................................................8 1. Background .......................................................................................................................... 11 Background to the review ................................................................................................. 11 Terms of reference ....................................................................................................... 11 The Uniform Succession Laws project ........................................................................... 11 Succession laws in Victoria ................................................................................................ 12 The Wills Act ................................................................................................................ 13 The Administration and Probate ................................................................................... 14 The Commission’s process ................................................................................................. 15 This consultation paper ..................................................................................................... 15 2. Witnessing wills and undue influence .............................................................................. 16 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 16 Requirements for witnessing a will .................................................................................... 17 Are stricter requirements desirable? ............................................................................. 18 The witness-beneficiary rule ..............................................................................................20 Current law ..................................................................................................................20 National Committee for Uniform Succession Laws ........................................................ 21 Other jurisdictions ........................................................................................................22 Should the rule be revived in Victoria? .........................................................................22 Prevention of undue influence through other changes to the will-making process ..........................................................................................................23 Options for reform ....................................................................................................... 24 Determining whether a will reflects the will-maker’s true intentions ..................................25 Testamentary capacity ..................................................................................................25 Knowledge and approval and suspicious circumstances ................................................ 27 Fraud and forgery ........................................................................................................28 Doctrine of undue influence .........................................................................................28 2 3. Statutory wills .....................................................................................................................33 Introduction ......................................................................................................................33 Statutory wills in Victoria ...................................................................................................34 Who can apply.............................................................................................................35 Information required for an application ........................................................................35 The basis of the decision ..............................................................................................36 Determining the intentions of the incapacitated person .....................................................36 People without capacity for whom statutory wills are made .........................................36 The guiding principle ....................................................................................................37 Involvement of the incapacitated person in the hearing .....................................................40 Accessibility of the statutory will process ........................................................................... 41 Possible barriers ........................................................................................................... 41 Options for improving accessibility ............................................................................... 41 Determining who pays for the application .........................................................................43 4. Ademption ...........................................................................................................................45 Introduction ......................................................................................................................45 The ademption rule ..........................................................................................................46 Current law—the identity approach ............................................................................46 Option for reform—the intention approach ................................................................48 Acts by administrators appointed by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal ...........49 Acts by persons holding an enduring power of attorney ..................................................50 Current law ..................................................................................................................50 National Committee for Uniform Succession Laws ........................................................ 51 Other jurisdictions ........................................................................................................ 51 Options for reform .......................................................................................................52 Access to a person’s will for anti-ademption purposes .......................................................56 Current law ..................................................................................................................56 Options for reform .......................................................................................................57 Questions .................................................................................................................................58
Recommended publications
  • Quinnipiac Probate Law Journal
    ROUNDS.FINAL.DOCX 5/28/2013 3:43 PM QUINNIPIAC PROBATE LAW JOURNAL VOLUME 26 2013 NUMBER 3 OLD DOCTRINE MISUNDERSTOOD, NEW DOCTRINE MISCONCEIVED: DECONSTRUCTING THE NEWLY- MINTED RESTATEMENT (THIRD) OF PROPERTY’S POWER OF APPOINTMENT SECTIONS CHARLES E. ROUNDS, JR.* Abstract The United States Constitution is quickening into an organism with common law attributes, while state common law as enhanced by equity, once a principles-based regime, is suffocating under the weight of layer upon layer of partial, hyper-technical codifications. Major players in the codification movement are the Uniform Law Commis- sion and The American Law Institute. The latter drafts model stat- utes, while the former drafts legislation, that, when enacted into law by the states, partially codifies or fills perceived gaps in assorted cor- ners of state common law, as that body of law has been enhanced by equity. The Institute doctrinally supports the Commission’s efforts via the serial revision of myriad law restatements. Coordinating the entire codification process is a small cadre of academics, some of whom are non-practicing lawyers. One influential cadre member in- volved in the crafting of the power of appointment sections of the new- ly-minted Restatement (Third) of Property (Wills and Other Donative Transfers), for example, has had minimal experience practicing in the areas of the law he would presume to reform.1 Those sections are the * Charles E. Rounds, Jr., a tenured professor at Suffolk University Law School, is the lead author of the last nineteen editions of LORING AND ROUNDS: A TRUSTEE’S HANDBOOK. The first edition was published by Augustus Peabody Loring in 1898.
    [Show full text]
  • Practice Material on Wills
    CAUTION The Professional Legal Training Course provides the Practice Material to users as an aid to developing entry level competence, with the understanding that neither the contributors nor the Professional Legal Training Course are providing legal or other professional advice. Practice Material users must exercise their professional judgment about the accuracy, utility and applicability of the material. In addition, the users must refer to the relevant legislation, case law, administrative guidelines, rules, and other primary sources. Forms and precedents are provided throughout the Practice Material. The users also must consider carefully their applicability to the client’s circumstances and their consistency with the client’s instructions. The Law Society of British Columbia and the Professional Legal Training Course can accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions in the Practice Material and expressly disclaim such responsibility. Professional Legal Training Course 2021 Practice Material Wills Recent Contributors: Allison A. Curley Denese Espeut-Post Deidre J. Herbert J. Jeffrey Locke Hugh S. McLellan Practice Material Editor: Katie McConchie September 2021 A requirement for admission to the bar of British Columbia, the Professional Legal Training Course is supported by grants from the Law Society of British Columbia and the Law Foundation of British Columbia. © 2021 The Law Society of British Columbia. See lawsociety.bc.ca > Terms of use. WILLS CONTENTS WILLS AND INTESTATE SUCCESSION [§1.01] The Estate 1 [§1.02] Disposition of Property by Will 2 [§1.03] Disposition of Property on Intestacy 2 1. Consequences of Intestacy 2 2. Intestacy Under WESA 3 3. Intestacy Under the Indian Act 5 [§1.04] Further Reading 6 FORMAL VALIDITY OF WILLS AND INTERPRETING WILLS [§2.01] Formalities 7 [§2.02] Curing Formal Deficiencies in a Will 7 [§2.03] Conflict of Law 8 [§2.04] Wills by Indigenous People 8 [§2.05] Revoking a Will 8 [§2.06] Altering a Will 9 [§2.07] Republishing and Reviving a Will 10 [§2.08] Special Types of Wills 10 1.
    [Show full text]
  • The Early Sources of Forced Heirship; Its History in Texas and Louisiana, 4 La
    Louisiana Law Review Volume 4 | Number 1 November 1941 The aE rly Sources of Forced Heirship; Its History in Texas and Louisiana Joseph Dainow Repository Citation Joseph Dainow, The Early Sources of Forced Heirship; Its History in Texas and Louisiana, 4 La. L. Rev. (1941) Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/lalrev/vol4/iss1/14 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Reviews and Journals at LSU Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Louisiana Law Review by an authorized editor of LSU Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Early Sources of Forced Heirship; Its History in Texas and Louisiana JOSEPH DAINOW* "There are certain provisions of the Civil Code of Louisi- ana that are something more than mere laws; they may be said to rise to the dignity of institutions. Among these are the articles of the Code providing for what is known as the doctrine of forced heirship."' The question of forced heirship is one which has received extensive and continued attention in practically all developed legal systems. Strong public policies are always involved and a great variety of conclusions have been reached. Furthermore, the policies and rules within certain countries have changed from one 2 extreme to the other. Forced heirship has always been a part of the law of Louisi- ana and as recently as 1921 it was given constitutional sanctifica- tion and protection.3 In Texas, the influences worked in the opposite direction. Forced heirship was a recognized institution of the original law, but within a comparatively short time after the entry of Texas into the Union it was abolished.4 It is proposed here to examine some relevant aspects of the early sources of this institution in the Roman, Germanic and Spanish laws.
    [Show full text]
  • 527 SUBSTANTIVE CONSOLIDATION—A POST-MODERN TREND The
    SUBSTANTIVE CONSOLIDATION—A POST-MODERN TREND TIMOTHY E. GRAULICH ∗ INTRODUCTION The ability of creditors in bankruptcy to seek the "substantive consolidation" of the assets and liabilities of affiliated entities has been recognized for more than sixty years, 1 even though the doctrine has never been codified in any bankruptcy statute 2 (except in the limited case of spouses). 3 Essentially, for purposes of distribution in bankruptcy, substantive consolidation treats multiple entities as if they were one. 4 As a consequence, claimants can no longer recover on their claims from their original obligors; rather, claimants recover their ratable share of a common "hotchpot" 5 consisting of the combined assets of the consolidated entities. ∗ Timothy E. Graulich is Counsel in the Corporate Department of Davis Polk & Wardwell. Davis Polk & Wardwell is counsel for the official committee of unsecured creditors in In re Owens Corning , Case No. 00- 3837 (JKF) (Bankr. D. Del.), which the committee (being conflicted on the issue) took no position with respect to substantive consolidation in that case. The views expressed herein are solely the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Davis Polk & Wardwell, or those parties or persons represented by Davis Polk & Wardwell. The author thanks Professor G. Ray Warner and Professor Richard Lieb for their advice, support and guidance in writing this article, Marshall S. Huebner for his thoughtful comments and suggestions, and his former colleagues at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP for their scholarship and guidance with respect to the subject matter of this article. 1 In 1941, the Supreme Court (perhaps inadvertently) announced the birth of the doctrine when it held that the assets of an individual debtor could be "consolidated" with the assets of a corporation to which the individual had fraudulently transferred substantially all his assets.
    [Show full text]
  • Intestate Succession
    INTESTATE SUCCESSION: WHAT EVERY JUDGE AND CLERK NEEDS TO KNOW DR. GERRY W. BEYER Governor Preston E. Smith Regents Professor of Law Texas Tech University School of Law 3311 18th Street Lubbock, TX 79409-0004 (806) 834-4270 [email protected] http://www.ProfessorBeyer.com http://www.BeyerBlog.com TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES July 2020 Virtual © 2020 Gerry W. Beyer Revised June 22, 2020 DR. GERRY W. BEYER Governor Preston E. Smith Regents Professor of Law Texas Tech University School of Law Lubbock, TX 79409-0004 (806) 834-4270 [email protected] – www.ProfessorBeyer.com EDUCATION B.A., Summa Cum Laude, Eastern Michigan University (1976) J.D., Summa Cum Laude, Ohio State University (1979) LL.M., University of Illinois (1983) J.S.D., University of Illinois (1990) SELECTED PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES Bar memberships: United States Supreme Court, Texas, Ohio (inactive status), Illinois (inactive status) Member: American Law Institute; American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (Academic Fellow); American Bar Foundation; Texas Bar Foundation; American Bar Association; Texas State Bar Association Editor-in-Chief, REPTL Reporter, State Bar of Texas (2013-present) Keeping Current Probate Editor, Probate and Property magazine (1992-present) CAREER HISTORY Private Practice, Columbus, Ohio (1980) Instructor of Law, University of Illinois (1980-81) Professor, St. Mary’s University School of Law (1981-2005) Governor Preston E. Smith Regent’s Professor of Law, Texas Tech University School of Law (2005 – present) Visiting Professor, Boston College
    [Show full text]
  • Estate Planning and the Law of Wills and Inheritance for South Carolina Farmers
    South Carolina Law Review Volume 12 Issue 4 Article 1 1960 Estate Planning and the Law of Wills and Inheritance for South Carolina Farmers David H. Means University of South Carolina Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/sclr Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation David H. Means, Estate Planning and the Law of Wills and Inheritance for South Carolina Farmers, 12 S.C.L.R. 491. (1960). This Article is brought to you by the Law Reviews and Journals at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in South Carolina Law Review by an authorized editor of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Means: Estate Planning and the Law of Wills and Inheritance for South Ca ESTATE PLANNING AND THE LAW OF WILLS AND INHERITANCE FOR SOUTH CAROLINA FARMERS* DAVID H. MEANSt TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I. INTRODUCTION 494 II. THE NATURE OF PROPERTY AND WAYS IN WHICH IT MAY BE OWNED 498 A. Real and Personal Property 498 B. Present and Future Interests 499 C. Duration of Interests 499 D. Individual Ownership and Cotenancies 500 E. Trusts 502 F. Powers of Appointment 502 III. HOMESTEAD 503 A. Head of a Family 503 B. Interests in Land in Which Homestead May Be Claimed - 505 C. Claims Subordinate to Homestead 506 D. Claims Paramountto Homestead 506 E. Homestead When Head of Family is Dead 508 F. How Homestead is Claimed 510 G. Waiver of Homestead 512 H. Exemption in Things Other Than Land 512 IV. MARITAL INTEREST 513 A. Dower 513 1.
    [Show full text]
  • The Annotated Will 2017
    THE ANNOTATED WILL 2017 chairs Susannah Roth, TEP O’Sullivan Estate Lawyers Mary-Alice Thompson, C.S., TEP Cunningham, Swan, Carty, Little & Bonham LLP January 12, 2017 *CLE17-0010401-A-PUB* DISCLAIMER: This work appears as part of The Law Society of Upper Canada’s initiatives in Continuing Professional Development (CPD). It provides information and various opinions to help legal professionals maintain and enhance their competence. It does not, however, represent or embody any official position of, or statement by, the Society, except where specifically indicated; nor does it attempt to set forth definitive practice standards or to provide legal advice. Precedents and other material contained herein should be used prudently, as nothing in the work relieves readers of their responsibility to assess the material in light of their own professional experience. No warranty is made with regards to this work. The Society can accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions, and expressly disclaims any such responsibility. © 2017 All Rights Reserved This compilation of collective works is copyrighted by The Law Society of Upper Canada. The individual documents remain the property of the original authors or their assignees. The Law Society of Upper Canada 130 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M5H 2N6 Phone: 416-947-3315 or 1-800-668-7380 Ext. 3315 Fax: 416-947-3991 E-mail: [email protected] www.lsuc.on.ca Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication The Annotated Will 2017 ISBN 978-1-77094-402-2 (Hardcopy) ISBN 978-1-77094-403-9 (PDF) THE ANNOTATED WILL 2017 Chairs: Susannah Roth, TEP O’Sullivan Estate Lawyers Mary-Alice Thompson, C.S., TEP Cunningham, Swan, Carty, Little & Bonham LLP Presenters: Darren Lund Fasken Martineau LLP Jane Martin Dickson Appell LLP January 12, 2017 9:00 a.m.
    [Show full text]
  • Succession Laws REPORT AUGUST 2013
    Succession Laws REPORT AUGUST 2013 Victorian Law Level 3 Telephone Email Reform Commission 333 Queen Street +61 3 8608 7800 [email protected] GPO Box 4637 Melbourne Freecall www.lawreform.vic.gov.au Melbourne Victoria 3000 1300 666 555 Victoria 3001 Australia (within Victoria) Australia Fax DX 144, Melbourne +61 3 8608 7888 Victorian Law Reform Commission Succession Laws: Report ii Contents Preface ........................................................................................................................................ix Terms of reference ..................................................................................................................... x Glossary .....................................................................................................................................xii Executive summary .................................................................................................................xiv Recommendations ................................................................................................................. xxiii 1. Introduction ...........................................................................................................................2 Terms of reference ..............................................................................................................2 The National Uniform Succession Laws project ...............................................................3 The Commission’s process ...................................................................................................3
    [Show full text]
  • Article Ii Intestacy, Wills, and Donative Transfers Part 1 Intestate Succession
    ARTICLE II INTESTACY, WILLS, AND DONATIVE TRANSFERS PART 1 INTESTATE SUCCESSION GENERAL COMMENT Part I of Article II contains the basic pattern of intestate succession historically called descent and distribution. It is no longer meaningful to have different patterns for real and personal property, and under the proposed statute all property not disposed of by a decedent's will passes to the decedent's heirs in the same manner. A principal purpose of this Article and Article III of the Code is to provide suitable rules and procedures for the person of modest means who relies on the estate plan provided by law. While the prescribed patterns may strike some as rules of law which may in some cases defeat intent of a decedent, this is true of every statute of this type. In assessing the changes it must therefore be borne in mind that the decedent may always choose a different rule by executing a will. The principal features of the statute are: 1. So-called negative wills are authorized, under which the decedent who dies intestate, in whole or in part, can by will disinherit a particular heir. 2. A surviving spouse receives the whole of the intestate estate, if the decedent left no surviving descendants and no parents or if the decedent's surviving descendants are also descendants of the surviving spouse and the surviving spouse has no descendants who are not descendants of the decedent. The surviving spouse receives the first $200,000 plus three-fourths of the balance if the decedent left no surviving descendants but a surviving parent.
    [Show full text]
  • Kentucky's Doctrine of Advancements: a Time for Reform
    University of Kentucky UKnowledge Law Faculty Scholarly Articles Law Faculty Publications 1987 Kentucky's Doctrine of Advancements: A Time for Reform Carolyn S. Bratt University of Kentucky College of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/law_facpub Part of the Estates and Trusts Commons Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Carolyn S. Bratt, Kentucky's Doctrine of Advancements: A Time for Reform, 75 Ky. L.J. 341 (1987). This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Faculty Publications at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Law Faculty Scholarly Articles by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Kentucky's Doctrine of Advancements: A Time for Reform Notes/Citation Information Kentucky Law Journal, Vol. 75, No. 2 (1986-1987), pp. 341-394 This article is available at UKnowledge: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/law_facpub/182 Kentucky's Doctrine of Advancements: A Time for Reform* BY CAROLYN S. BRATT** INTRODUCTION The act of giving a gift is accomplished so easily that the legal consequences often escape the donor. Even when a donor stops to contemplate the legal significance of her or his act, a parental donor probably is unaware that a gift to a child may affect the child's inheritance rights in the parent's estate. Ken- tucky is among the minority of states which continue to presume that a parental gift is intended as an advancement to the child donee.' Moreover, Kentucky is one of only two states which make the presumption irrebutable.
    [Show full text]
  • Intestate Succession
    INTESTATE SUCCESSION: WHAT EVERY TEXAS LEGAL PROFESSIONAL NEEDS TO KNOW DR. GERRY W. BEYER Governor Preston E. Smith Regents Professor of Law Texas Tech University School of Law 3311 18th Street Lubbock, TX 79409-0004 (806) 834-4270 [email protected] http://www.ProfessorBeyer.com http://www.BeyerBlog.com SPRING 2019 PROBATE ACADEMY TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES Lubbock, Texas May 8, 2019 © 2019 Gerry W. Beyer Revised April 20, 2019 DR. GERRY W. BEYER Governor Preston E. Smith Regents Professor of Law Texas Tech University School of Law Lubbock, TX 79409-0004 (806) 834-4270 [email protected] – www.ProfessorBeyer.com EDUCATION B.A., Summa Cum Laude, Eastern Michigan University (1976) J.D., Summa Cum Laude, Ohio State University (1979) LL.M., University of Illinois (1983) J.S.D., University of Illinois (1990) SELECTED PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES Bar memberships: United States Supreme Court, Texas, Ohio (inactive status), Illinois (inactive status) Member: American Law Institute; American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (Academic Fellow); American Bar Foundation; Texas Bar Foundation; American Bar Association; Texas State Bar Association Editor-in-Chief, REPTL Reporter, State Bar of Texas (2013-present) Keeping Current Probate Editor, Probate and Property magazine (1992-present) CAREER HISTORY Private Practice, Columbus, Ohio (1980) Instructor of Law, University of Illinois (1980-81) Professor, St. Mary’s University School of Law (1981-2005) Governor Preston E. Smith Regent’s Professor of Law, Texas Tech University School of Law
    [Show full text]
  • LAW and LEGISLATIVE DIGITAL LIBRARY at the Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library
    MAINE STATE LEGISLATURE The following document is provided by the LAW AND LEGISLATIVE DIGITAL LIBRARY at the Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library http://legislature.maine.gov/lawlib Reproduced from scanned originals with text recognition applied (searchable text may contain some errors and/or omissions) ONE HUNDRED AND NINTH LEGISLATURE Legislative Document No. I STATE OF MAINE IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD NINETEEN HUNDRED SEVENTY-NINE AN ACT to Establish the Maine Probate Code. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine, as follows: Sec.!. IS-A MRSA is enacted to read: TITLE IS-A MAINE PROBATE CODE ARTICLE I GENERAL PROVISIONS, DEFINITIONS AND JURISDICTION PART 1 SHORT TITLE, CONSTRUCTION, GENERAL PROVISIONS § I-IOI. Short title This Act shall be known and may be cited as the Maine Probate Code. § 1-102. Purposes; rule of construction (a) This Code shall be liberally construed and applied to promote its underlying purposes and policies. (b) The underlying purposes and policies of this Code are: (I) to simplify and clarify the law concerning the affairs of decedents, missing persons, protected persons, minors and incapacitated persons; 2 LEGISLATIVE DOCUMENT No. (2) to discover and make effective the intent of a decedent in the dis­ tribution of his property; (3) to promote a speedy and efficient system for liquidating the estate of the decedent and making distribution to his successors; (4) to facilitate use and enforcement of certain trusts; (5) to make uniform the law among the various jurisdictions. § 1-103. Supplementary general principles of law applicable Unless displaced by the particular provisions of this Code, the principles of law and equity supplement its provisions.
    [Show full text]