Updated March 16, 2023
A Maine last will and testament is a legal document in which a testator (the individual to whom the will belongs) has the ability to set forth into writing how they would like their property to be distributed among designated beneficiaries upon their death. A will allows a testator to record instructions regarding the after-death distribution of their real and property, life insurance policies, digital assets, fiduciary accounts, cash-on-hand, and much more. Through making a will, a testator will also name beneficiaries; some of the common individuals considered beneficiaries include spouses, children, friends, and even charitable organizations. Will documents must be signed by the testator in the presence of two (2) separate witnesses– both of whom will sign the document as well. And though optional, the document can be notarized to further protect its legality.
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Laws
Signing Requirements
Signed by at least two (2) or more Witnesses, each of whom witnessed either the signing of the will or the testator’s acknowledgment of that signature or acknowledgment of the will. (Section 2-502)
State Definition
“Will” includes a codicil and any testamentary instrument that only appoints an executor, revokes or revises another will, nominates a guardian or expressly excludes or limits the right of an individual or class to succeed to property of the decedent passing by intestate succession.
Statutory Wills – § 2-517
Related Forms
Download: Adobe PDF
Durable (Financial) Power of Attorney
Download: Adobe PDF