I came across this very interestingly titled article the other day. The entire article goes through a series of possibly devastating errors made in wills – both DIY jobs, and ones by lawyers who do not focus on estates law. From someone copying and pasting a name into a trust (almost leading to two total strangers inheriting $50,000.00!) to siblings fighting over personal items that were not specifically addressed to vacation properties left with no thought as to sale rights, there are so many things that can go wrong when documents are prepared by someone with not enough experience.
While a fair portion of what the article’s author, Eric Rasmussen, mentions is very specific to the US, I will still repeat a point that I often make: you wouldn’t go to a psychiatrist to have a heart transplant. Why go to a criminal lawyer for your will?