Usually described as a person’s Last Will and Testament, the written expression of a how a person (the testator) would like their property to be distributed or disposed of after their death.

A will needs to be admitted to probate, ie proved to be genuine and effective, under a court-supervised process. Only once probate is granted, can the executors (the persons charged with carrying out the testator’s wishes) begin the process of distributing the property to the beneficiaries (the persons to whom the property has been left in the will).

Ideally, a will should be signed and witnessed, but there are cases in which an unsigned document or even a text message has been accepted as an effective will.