To encourage students to view wills, trusts, and estates issues from the standpoint of both planners and litigators, the authors include numerous questions that require students to think about ways to draft or plan to avoid litigation, while accomplishing clients’ goals. While the book is intended for the basic wills and trusts course, it may also be used in advanced trusts and estates courses, as it includes chapters on estate planning, powers of appointment, advanced directives, and probate.
The rules governing wills and trusts continue to be state-law-driven. The authors’ philosophy is that students gain critical insights into complex issues by studying the laws of one jurisdiction as a whole. Florida law is a perfect platform for this endeavor because it has extensive probate and trust codes and significant case decisions addressing current and cutting-edge issues.