Is an estate executor required to read the Will to all family members?
September 8, 2020
Gemma Charlton
Legal Moment
Ask a Lawyer on Dave Rocks
Transcript
| [phone ringing] | |
| Receptionist: | Cohen Highley |
| Announcer: | And now the Cohen Highley Legal Moment on Dave Rocks. |
| Announcer: | I’m with Gemma Charlton from Cohen Highley Lawyers. Is an estate executor required to read the Will to all family members? |
| Gemma Charlton: | No. Executors should maintain the deceased’s privacy and only share the contents of the Will with the beneficiaries. So, if you re not mentioned in the Will, you have no right to see its content. |
| Announcer: | Do all beneficiaries see the whole Will then? |
| Gemma Charlton: | If you are only receiving a specific gift, such as an item of jewellery or a set amount of money, you are entitled to see the part of the Will that describes your gift. Only those who are beneficiaries of the residual share of the estate are entitled to see the whole Will. |
| Announcer: | What if you have been left out of the Will? |
| Gemma Charlton: | If the Will includes a statement indicating that you have been specifically left out of the estate, you would be entitled to see that part. |
| Announcer | Thank you, Gemma. This has been the Cohen Highley legal moment. |
| [Music] | |
| Singers: | Cohen Highley, we’re listening. cohenhighley.com |
