Legal Last Will

The Uniform Testamentary Additions to Trusts Act has been adopted in at least 44 States. The purpose of the Act is to allow "pour-over" wills, which allow a testator to set up a trust prior to his death, and provide in his will that his assets (in whole or in part) will "pour over" into that already-existing trust at the time of this death. Unless there is statutory authority, such as the adoption of the UTATA, permitting the assets which are attempted to be "poured over" in this manner, they are considered part of the testator's estate, and are administered along with the rest of his estate.

However, a statutory pour-over will allows assets are not part of the probate estate for purposes of administration: to be poured over into the previously-established trust, and are administered and disposed of according to the terms of that previously-established trust rather than by the terms of the testator's will.

The following is the 1991 version of the UTATA, which has been adopted in some form by many states:

SECTION 1. TESTAMENTARY ADDITIONS TO TRUSTS.

(a) A will may validly devise or bequeath property to the trustee of a trust established or to be established (i) during the testator's lifetime by the testator, by the testator and some other person, or by some other person including a funded or unfunded life insurance trust, although the trustor has reserved any or all rights of ownership of the insurance contracts, or (ii) at the testator's death by the testator's devise to the trustee, if the trust is identified in the testator's will and its terms are set forth in a written instrument, other than a will, executed before, concurrently with, or after the execution of the testator's will or in another individual's will if that other individual has predeceased the testator, regardless of the existence, size, or character of the corpus of the trust. The devise or bequest is not invalid because the trust is amendable or revocable, or because the trust was amended after the execution of the will or the testator's death.

(b) Unless the testator's will provides otherwise, property devised or bequeathed to a trust described in subsection (a) is not held under a testamentary trust of the testator but it becomes a part of the trust to which it is devised or bequeathed, and must be administered and disposed of in accordance with the provisions of the governing instrument setting forth the terms of the trust, including any amendments thereto made before or after the testator's death.

(c) Unless the testator's will provides otherwise, a revocation or termination of the trust before the testator's death causes the devise or bequest to lapse.

SECTION 2. EFFECT ON EXISTING WILLS. This [Act] applies to a will of a testator who dies after the effective date of this [Act].

SECTION 3. UNIFORMITY OF APPLICATION AND CONSTRUCTION. This [Act] shall be applied and construed to effectuate its general purpose to make uniform the law with respect to the subject of this [Act] among states enacting it.

SECTION 4. SHORT TITLE. This [Act] may be cited as the Uniform Testamentary Additions to Trusts Act (1991).

SECTION 5. SEVERABILITY CLAUSE. If any provision of this [Act] or its application is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of this [Act] which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end provisions of this [Act] are severable.

SECTION 6. REPEAL. The following acts and parts of acts are repealed:

(a)

(b)

(c)

SECTION 7. EFFECTIVE DATE. This [Act] takes effect _________________________.