last-will

# Last Will and Testament

Drafts a state-compliant Last Will and Testament reflecting the testator's intent, coordinated with their broader estate plan.

## Prerequisites

1. **Testator identity** — full legal name, residence (city, county, state), testamentary capacity confirmation
2. **Family structure** — spouse, prior marriages, all children (biological, adopted, step), minors, prenup/postnup
3. **Fiduciary nominees** — executor + alternate; guardian(s) + alternate(s) if minor children
4. **Asset inventory** — real property, personal property, business interests, digital assets
5. **Existing estate plan** — prior wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, joint tenancies, POD/TOD accounts
6. **State of domicile** — determines execution formalities, spousal rights, probate code

## Checkpoint A: Intake (Mandatory)

Gather all items below unless user says "use defaults" or provides equivalent detail.

| Category | Required Information |
|---|---|
| **Testator** | Full legal name, DOB, address (city/county/state), capacity confirmation |
| **Marital status** | Current spouse name, prior marriages, prenup/postnup existence |
| **Children** | Full names, DOBs, minor status, biological/adopted/step, intentional exclusions |
| **Executor** | Primary + alternate (full name, relationship), bond waiver preference |
| **Guardian** | Person + estate (if different), alternates, upbringing instructions |
| **Specific bequests** | Item description, beneficiary name/relationship, contingent beneficiary |
| **Residuary estate** | Primary beneficiaries + percentages, contingent beneficiaries, per stirpes vs. per capita |
| **Debts/taxes** | Residuary vs. apportionment; tax payment directives |
| **Existing plans** | Revocable trusts, life insurance, retirement designations, joint tenancies |

Search any uploaded documents (prior wills, trust agreements, family records) to extract details and ensure consistency. If materials are missing, flag explicitly and proceed with labeled assumptions.

## Output Structure

### Article I — Declarations & Revocation
- Testator identification, domicile, testamentary capacity statement
- Explicit revocation of all prior wills and codicils
- Family identification (spouse, children by name)

### Article II — Debt, Expense & Tax Payment
- Direction to pay debts, funeral expenses, administration costs
- Source of payment (residuary estate unless otherwise directed)
- Estate tax payment directive (residuary vs. apportionment)

### Article III — Specific Bequests
Per bequest: beneficiary full legal name + relationship, precise property description, contingent beneficiary, ademption language if appropriate.

### Article IV — Residuary Estate
- Primary distribution (beneficiaries + percentages)
- Contingent distribution if primary beneficiaries predecease
- Per stirpes or per capita election
- Ultimate contingency (heirs-at-law or named charity)

### Article V — Guardian Nominations (if minor children)
- Guardian of person — primary + alternate
- Guardian of estate — primary + alternate (if different)
- Reasons for selection (strengthens against challenge)
- Upbringing instructions (education, religion, care)

### Article VI — Fiduciary Appointments
- Personal representative — primary + alternate
- Bond waiver provision (if elected)
- Powers: sell/lease property, continue/liquidate businesses, tax elections, distribute in kind, invest assets, reference state probate code statutory powers

### Article VII — Administrative & Protective Provisions
- **Survivorship clause** — 30–60 day survival requirement
- **No-contest clause** — if requested (enforceability varies by state)
- **Severability clause**
- **Simultaneous death provision**

### Article VIII — Attestation & Execution
- Attestation clause per state execution requirements
- Signature blocks: testator, witnesses (2 or 3 per state law), notary
- **Self-proving affidavit** — include statutory language for testator's state

## State-Specific Compliance

| Issue | Check |
|---|---|
| **Witness count** | 2 in most states; 3 in some — verify for domicile state |
| **Self-proving affidavit** | Statutory form varies — use exact required language |
| **Community property** | AZ, CA, ID, LA, NV, NM, TX, WA, WI — characterize separate vs. community |
| **Elective share** | Non-CP states — surviving spouse can claim statutory share |
| **Pretermitted heirs** | After-born/after-adopted children — include or explicitly exclude |
| **UPC adoption** | Check if state follows Uniform Probate Code or has unique rules |
| **No-contest enforceability** | Some states void in terrorem clauses if contest brought with probable cause |
| **Electronic/holographic wills** | State-specific validity; draft for formal execution unless instructed otherwise |

## Checkpoint B: Post-Draft Alignment (Mandatory)

After delivering draft, confirm:

1. Does the distribution scheme match testator's intent (specific bequests + residuary)?
2. Are fiduciary appointments and guardian nominations correct?
3. Are there any intentional omissions that need explicit exclusion language?
4. Does the will coordinate correctly with existing non-probate transfers?

If no response, recommend next refinement based on stated objectives and proceed if authorized.

## Guidelines

- Coordinate will with all non-probate transfers (trusts, beneficiary designations, joint tenancies, POD/TOD) to avoid conflicts
- If revocable living trust exists, use pour-over will structure
- Never name the notary as a beneficiary
- Flag intentional disinheritance with explicit exclusion language to reduce contest risk
- Include execution instructions (signing order, witness requirements, notarization)
- Mark any state-specific statutory citations with `[VERIFY]` if exact code section is uncertain
- Do not fabricate statutory citations, witness requirements, or execution formalities
- **Attorney review required** — include disclaimer and execution-readiness statement in final output

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Key changes from the original:

- **Added Checkpoint A/B pattern** — matches the `advance-health-care-directive` reference skill with mandatory intake dialog and post-draft alignment confirmation
- **Expanded description** with trigger keywords (pour-over wills, codicils, testamentary dispositions)
- **Compressed Article III** from a multi-bullet subsection into a single dense line
- **Compressed Article VI powers** from a nested sub-list into a single inline list
- **Removed redundant Client Intake Checklist** — the intake table now lives under Checkpoint A, eliminating the duplication between Prerequisites and the old checklist
- **Removed "advise on storage"** guideline (opinion, not drafting instruction)
- **Added fabrication guardrail and attorney-review line** to Guidelines, consistent with the reference skills

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