The first possible ground to object is undue execution. This objection focuses on the will’s technical non-compliance with the formalities set forth in EPTL § 3-2.1.
For example, the statute requires the decedent to sign the will at the end, declare to each of the attesting witnesses that the instrument is his will, and use at least two attesting witnesses. In reviewing the will and cross examining the attorney and witnesses, you should pay attention to the location of the decedent’s signature on the will, as well as any communications between the decedent and others present. Check to see if the decedent declared the document to be his or her last will and, if so, how. Check to see if the decedent signed the will in the witnesses’ presence or otherwise published his signature to the witnesses. Make sure the witnesses also signed the will and the dates of the signatures.
You should also review an administrative check list and other practice guides on estate administration. This will help you outline the various issues involved and help provide you with grounds to challenge the will, even if technically compliant with the statute.
These check lists and practice guides, for example, recommend that the client initial each page. They also caution practitioners against removing staples to make photocopies. Among other things, these circumstances may create doubt as to the will’s validity. One may conclude that the will does not contain the same pages as those executed by the decedent or that the decedent did not read its contents. These circumstances may obtain even greater weight as the case develops, especially depending on the specific cast of characters involved, such as the character of the beneficiaries, the drafting attorney and the witnesses.