Estates and Trusts
LAW 609 Section 61
John T. Plecnik
Welcome to Estates & Trusts! This course is designed to survey the law relating to the disposition of property upon death through probate, non-probate, and intestate transfers.
Estates & Trusts is one of the most common practice areas, and many of you will write wills and trusts throughout your career. It is also frequently tested on the bar exam, so mastering its fundamentals is a necessity for most of us.
Your syllabus for the course is attached, and your first reading is to prepare Assignments 1-3 for Monday, May 23rd. In all likelihood, we will not complete all three Assignments on the first day of class, but my goal is to assign the material as far out as we might go, so that you are always prepared.
1. 1-39 The Power to Transmit Property at Death
2. 40-51 The Mechanics of Succession
3. 51-62 Professional Responsibility
The required text for the course is Sitkoff & Dukeminier, WILLS, TRUSTS, AND ESTATES (10th ed. 2017). It is the older edition, and that is by design. The 10th edition is considerably cheaper, but still sufficiently up to date.
See you on Monday, May 23rd, at 6pm in person in LB Room 207!