Attestation clause

Attestation clause

In the statutory law of wills and trusts in the United States, an attestation clause is a clause that is typically appended to a will, often just below the place of the testator's signature.

Attestation clauses were introduced into probate law with the promulgation of the first version of the Model Probate Code in the 1940s. A typical attestation clause reads:

:We, the undersigned testator and the undersigned witnesses, respectively, whose names are signed to the attached or foregoing instrument declare:

::(1) that the testator executed the instrument as the testator's will;::(2) that, in the presence of both witnesses, the testator signed or acknowledged the signature already made or directed another to sign for the testator in the testator's presence;::(3) that the testator executed the will as a free and voluntary act for the purposes expressed in it;::(4) that each of the witnesses, in the presence of the testator and of each other, signed the will as a witness;::(5) that the testator was of sound mind when the will was executed; and::(6) that to the best knowledge of each of the witnesses the testator was, at the time the will was executed, at least eighteen (18) years of age or was a member of the armed forces or of the merchant marine of the United States or its allies.

This attestation clause is modeled on the Model Probate Code's version. Statutes that authorize self-proved wills typically provide that a will that contains this language will be admitted to probate without affidavits from the attesting witnesses. The validity and form of an attestation clause is usually a matter of U.S. state law, and will vary from state to state. Many states allow attestation clauses to be added as codicils to wills that were originally drafted without them.

References

* Burns' Annotated Indiana Statutes, ss. 29-1-5-3.1

ee also

* Attestation
* Police oath
* Testator
* Verification


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • attestation clause — n: a clause at the end of a will in which the witnesses state that the will was signed and witnessed with all the formalities required by law and which often sets forth those requirements Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996 …   Law dictionary

  • attestation clause — A writing at the end of a will but preceding the signature of the witnesses which sets forth with more or less completeness the performance of the statutory requisites to due execution and witnessing of the instrument, the purpose of the clause… …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • attestation — I noun act of bearing witness, adjuration, affirmation, allegation, assertion, asseveration, attest, attesting declaration, authentication, averment, avouchment, avowal, certification, declaration, endorsement, oath, solemn averment, solemn… …   Law dictionary

  • Attestation — can mean: *A trusted platform device is said to attest to its state that is, it reports its integrity state, for example the values inside the registers inside the TPM (Trusted Platform Module) chip in the Trusted Computing Group community.… …   Wikipedia

  • Clause — Clause, n. [F. clause, LL. clausa, equiv. to L. clausula clause, prop., close of ? rhetorical period, close, fr. claudere to shut, to end. See {Close}.] 1. A separate portion of a written paper, paragraph, or sentence; an article, stipulation, or …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • attestation — The act of witnessing an instrument in writing, at the request of the party making the same, and subscribing the name of the witness in testimony of such fact. In re Carlson s Estate, 156 Or. 597, 68 P.2d 119, 121. See affirmation jurat oath… …   Black's law dictionary

  • attestation — The act of witnessing an instrument in writing, at the request of the party making the same, and subscribing the name of the witness in testimony of such fact. In re Carlson s Estate, 156 Or. 597, 68 P.2d 119, 121. See affirmation jurat oath… …   Black's law dictionary

  • perfect attestation clause — One that asserts performance of all acts required to be done to make valid testamentary disposition …   Black's law dictionary

  • testimonium clause — The clause in a written instrument, otherwise known as a testatum clause, such as in witness whereof, by which the act and date of execution is directed to the writing. Arrington v Arrington, 122 Ala 510, 26 So 152. An attestation clause. 13 Am… …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • No-contest clause — Wills, trusts and estates …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”