Ex. Trusts, Wills and Estate Planning
Course Information
- Course Number
- L8701
- Curriculum Level
- Upperclass
- Areas of Study
- Property, Real Estate, and Trusts & Estates
- Type
- Externship
- Additional Attributes
- Experiential Credit
Section 001 Information
Section Description
This externship will focus on 1) lifetime and postmortem estate planning (including the effect of state and common law doctrines such as lapse and ademption, as well as family dynamics), and 2) the administration of estates and trusts (including an overview of the probate process). Students will be expected to research current events relevant to the course and related topics (such as digital assets, constraints on the right to marry, the responses of property and domestic relations law to new reproductive technology) and to discuss these in class.
The fieldwork component will consist of interviewing clients at one or more senior centers or agencies offering elder services in Manhattan and drafting estate planning documents (including Wills, Powers of Attorney, Living Wills and Health Care Proxies) for these clients. During the semester, there will be meetings with clients at the relevant locations as well as class and individual meetings at the Law School to discuss the estate planning situations and to review drafts of documents prepared by the students. Work will be done in teams of two and each team will interview at least two clients and will prepare the documents and participate in the execution of the documents.
Students will receive four credits: two academic credits for the seminar and two clinical credits for the fieldwork. The seminar will be graded with letter grades. The fieldwork will be graded Credit/Fail. Grades will be based on written work and class participation. Performance in the fieldwork portion of the course can influence the grade for the seminar.
Preference will be given to students who have had (or are currently taking) a course in Trusts & Estates or who have relevant experience.
Admission is by instructor permission during the Externship application period - see the Social Justice Initiatives page for more information.
- School Year & Semester
- Spring 2022
- Location
- JGH 501
- Schedule
-
Class meets on
- Wednesday
- Points
- 2
- Method of Evaluation
- Paper
- J.D Writing Credit?
- Minor (upon consultation)
- LLM Writing Project
- Upon consultation
Learning Outcomes
- Primary
-
- At the end of the course, students will have acquired an understanding of and/or facility in substantive areas of trusts and estates practice, such as state and common law doctrines and their effect on the construction of wills.
- At the end of the course, students will have acquired facility in various lawyering skills such as client communications (interviewing and counseling) and drafting and revising estate planning documents.
- At the end of the course, students will have acquired an understanding of the probate of wills and administration of estates.
- Secondary
-
- By the end of the course, students will better understand the concerns of clients who are planning for their own care during their lifetimes and the disposition of their property at death, and the role that lawyers can play in addressing their concerns.
Course Limitations
- Instructor Pre-requisites
- None
- Instructor Co-Requisites
- None
- Recommended Courses
- Trusts & Estates
- Other Limitations
- Admission is by instructor permission during the Externship application period - see the Social Justice Initiatives page for more information.
Additional Section for Ex. Trusts, Wills and Estate Planning
School Year & Semester
Spring 2022
Points
2