Leigh Hilton, L.P. is dedicated to providing you with the peace of mind of
knowing you have made the best legal decisions throughout your lifetime to
protect your loved ones from divorce, creditors and lawsuits. We provide
comprehensive and personalized estate planning counsel to couples, families
and individuals.
We serve our clients by first listening closely to their goals, dreams and
concerns. Then, we work with them to develop superior plans that reflect their
own unique situations, while putting our knowledge and experience to work
for their benefit.
Leigh Hilton, L.P. is committed to helping you understand that the foundation
of estate planning is not just saving tax dollars, but also appreciating the
value of planning for you and your loved ones.
knowing you have made the best legal decisions throughout your lifetime to
protect your loved ones from divorce, creditors and lawsuits. We provide
comprehensive and personalized estate planning counsel to couples, families
and individuals.
We serve our clients by first listening closely to their goals, dreams and
concerns. Then, we work with them to develop superior plans that reflect their
own unique situations, while putting our knowledge and experience to work
for their benefit.
Leigh Hilton, L.P. is committed to helping you understand that the foundation
of estate planning is not just saving tax dollars, but also appreciating the
value of planning for you and your loved ones.
| 1100 Dallas Drive, Suite 100 Denton, TX 76205, Phone: (940) 382-4357, Fax: (940) 591-0991, Email:leighhilton@charter.net |
Ethical Wills
Every Texas attorney studied the various estate planning documents, including Wills, Revocable/Irrevocable Trusts, Durable Powers
of Attorney, Medical Powers of Attorney, and so on in law school. Recently, we have all seen through the power of the media the
importance of a Directive to Physicians which is also known as a Living Will. All of these documents are fairly traditional and are
usually included in any estate planning package. However, are those only estate planning documents you have heard of? Are you
familiar with an instrument known as an Ethical Will?
While an Ethical Will might sound like the newest type of legal document, it isn't. Actually, it is not new at all. Ethical Wills have been
in use for over 3000 years. It is a tradition which can even be seen in the Old and New Testament of the Bible.
So you ask, "What does an Ethical Will actually do?" An Ethical Will is a non-legal document which allows a person to share his or
her personal values, life's lessons, family history, family traditions, expectations for the future, dreams, hopes, personal
religion/spiritual ideals, and anything else that might be important to that person with his or her family and friends. Ethical Wills can
also provide future generations with an individual's health history in order to inform descendants of potential health issues they
could possibly face down the road.
This document can be written at various stages in life and can be amended throughout an individual's life. Ethical Wills have been
written by couples who are engaged to be married, women and men who are welcoming newborns into their lives, families which
are growing in size, middle-aged single and married individuals, individuals facing terminal or life-threatening illness, and so on.
An Ethical Will can be addressed to various people including a spouse or children, to the family, to parents, to a friend, to anyone of
importance. A person can also have multiple Ethical Wills which are each unique to the individual it is addressed to. As in any
estate planning document, subheadings can help clarify the purpose of each individual section. Some examples of Ethical Will
sections include "Family History", "What You Mean to Me", "My Definition of Success", "The Importance of Spirituality", "The
Importance of Humor", "The Importance of Education", and "What I will Miss Most About You." There are numerous subheadings
which can be added into an Ethical Will.
An Ethical Will can be read to family and friends while the individual is still living or it can be read with the traditional estate planning
documents after the individual is deceased at a memorial service or in private setting.
Ethical Wills allow for an individual to be remembered for what he or she values in life. It allows the person to tell his or her story to
his or her loved-ones and have it last forever. An Ethical Will can also aid an individual in coming to terms with his or her mortality. It
allows for closure by providing his or her family and friends with the framework he or she has lived by and the reasons why. It
permits one to covert his or her personal experiences into lessons which can be forever passed down in years to come. In the end,
it could potentially become one of the most appreciated contributions to your family and friends.
While Ethical Wills can be drafted at any time in one’s life, numerous lawyers and estate planners recommend that an Ethical Will
should be drafted or at the same time the client executes a legal will. This is because an Ethical Will can be a very useful addition
to the traditional estate planning documents. It can actually be the foundation and reasoning behind why a client wants certain
possessions to go to certain individuals at the time of his or her death. An Ethical Will can help the client think through his or her
specific bequests and aid in that decision making process of determining "who will get what." Therefore, an Ethical Will can be
drafted in support of a legal will by stating the rationale behind a client's various bequests.
Ethical Wills have become increasingly more popular in recent years. While an Ethical Will is not a legally binding document, it is a
way tell a family and friends how much they mean to a person and it allows that person to leave a story, a legacy, with his or her
name.
Back to Article List
Every Texas attorney studied the various estate planning documents, including Wills, Revocable/Irrevocable Trusts, Durable Powers
of Attorney, Medical Powers of Attorney, and so on in law school. Recently, we have all seen through the power of the media the
importance of a Directive to Physicians which is also known as a Living Will. All of these documents are fairly traditional and are
usually included in any estate planning package. However, are those only estate planning documents you have heard of? Are you
familiar with an instrument known as an Ethical Will?
While an Ethical Will might sound like the newest type of legal document, it isn't. Actually, it is not new at all. Ethical Wills have been
in use for over 3000 years. It is a tradition which can even be seen in the Old and New Testament of the Bible.
So you ask, "What does an Ethical Will actually do?" An Ethical Will is a non-legal document which allows a person to share his or
her personal values, life's lessons, family history, family traditions, expectations for the future, dreams, hopes, personal
religion/spiritual ideals, and anything else that might be important to that person with his or her family and friends. Ethical Wills can
also provide future generations with an individual's health history in order to inform descendants of potential health issues they
could possibly face down the road.
This document can be written at various stages in life and can be amended throughout an individual's life. Ethical Wills have been
written by couples who are engaged to be married, women and men who are welcoming newborns into their lives, families which
are growing in size, middle-aged single and married individuals, individuals facing terminal or life-threatening illness, and so on.
An Ethical Will can be addressed to various people including a spouse or children, to the family, to parents, to a friend, to anyone of
importance. A person can also have multiple Ethical Wills which are each unique to the individual it is addressed to. As in any
estate planning document, subheadings can help clarify the purpose of each individual section. Some examples of Ethical Will
sections include "Family History", "What You Mean to Me", "My Definition of Success", "The Importance of Spirituality", "The
Importance of Humor", "The Importance of Education", and "What I will Miss Most About You." There are numerous subheadings
which can be added into an Ethical Will.
An Ethical Will can be read to family and friends while the individual is still living or it can be read with the traditional estate planning
documents after the individual is deceased at a memorial service or in private setting.
Ethical Wills allow for an individual to be remembered for what he or she values in life. It allows the person to tell his or her story to
his or her loved-ones and have it last forever. An Ethical Will can also aid an individual in coming to terms with his or her mortality. It
allows for closure by providing his or her family and friends with the framework he or she has lived by and the reasons why. It
permits one to covert his or her personal experiences into lessons which can be forever passed down in years to come. In the end,
it could potentially become one of the most appreciated contributions to your family and friends.
While Ethical Wills can be drafted at any time in one’s life, numerous lawyers and estate planners recommend that an Ethical Will
should be drafted or at the same time the client executes a legal will. This is because an Ethical Will can be a very useful addition
to the traditional estate planning documents. It can actually be the foundation and reasoning behind why a client wants certain
possessions to go to certain individuals at the time of his or her death. An Ethical Will can help the client think through his or her
specific bequests and aid in that decision making process of determining "who will get what." Therefore, an Ethical Will can be
drafted in support of a legal will by stating the rationale behind a client's various bequests.
Ethical Wills have become increasingly more popular in recent years. While an Ethical Will is not a legally binding document, it is a
way tell a family and friends how much they mean to a person and it allows that person to leave a story, a legacy, with his or her
name.
Back to Article List
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“helping you plan for the two most important things in your life: everything you own
and everyone you love”
and everyone you love”