Ample Mississippi Will

To write a will, Mississippi law states you must be at least 18 years old, of sound and disposing mind, must intend the document to be your will and must have the written will validly executed. Upon your death, your will must go through probate, a court proceeding that declares the will valid or invalid.

A holographic or handwritten will is valid in Mississippi if it's testamentary in character (i.e. intended to be a will, not just a letter to a friend) and is wholly written, dated, and signed by the testator or creator of the will.

In Mississippi, a handwritten will, which is called a "holographic will", is legal as long as it is completely in the handwriting of the decedent. Fill in the blank forms will now serve as a handwritten will. The problem with handwritten wills comes in presenting them to the court for probate.

No, in Mississippi, you do not need to notarize your will to make it legal.A self-proving will speeds up probate because the court can accept the will without contacting the witnesses who signed it.

If a person dies without a will, Mississippi's laws of intestacy distribute the person's estate to his or her heirs at law.To establish heirs, the probate attorney files a Petition to Establish Heirs with the chancery court in the county where the decedent died or owned property.

In Mississippi, you can make a living trust to avoid probate for virtually any asset you own -- real estate, bank accounts, vehicles, and so on. You need to create a trust document (it's similar to a will), naming someone to take over as trustee after your death (called a successor trustee).

Probate estate is $500 or less.

Mississippi has a simplified probate process for small estates. To use it, an executor files a written request with the local probate court asking to use the simplified procedure. The court may authorize the executor to distribute the assets without having to jump through the hoops of regular probate.

Anyone at least 18 years old and of sound mind can create a will in Mississippi. To execute a valid will, the testator or creator of the will must:If not completely written by the testator, there must be two or more credible witnesses who attest to the will in the testator's presence.

Mississippi probate records include dockets, wills, settlements, petitions, letters, guardianships, claims, and minutes. Probate records of Mississippi have been kept by the chancery courts or probate courts. You can obtain copies of the records by contacting the clerk's office in each county courthouse.