Wills, Trusts and Estates Examples & Explanations, 4e

This popular study guide helps students master the complexities of wills, trusts, and estates through a combination of textual material and well-written, comprehensive examples, explanations, and questions. Examples & Explanations: Wills, Trusts, and Estates, Fourth Edition, provides students with the essential background and review materials they need to practice applying legal concepts to fact patterns.

Among the features that make this high-quality study guide popular with both students and instructors:

comprehensive coverage — the text covers intestacy, wills, and trusts, including nonprobate assets, estate administration, wealth transfer taxation (gift tax, estate tax, generation-skipping transfer tax), disability and death planning, and malpractice/professional responsibility
a conversational writing style that is clear, accessible, and holds students¿ interest
uses the Examples & Explanations format to help students learn in a step-by-step manner and also includes comprehensive questions, with a variety of issues in one fact situation, that are similar to those on law school and bar examinations
casebook correlation charts that make it easy to use the study guide with any of the seven most popular casebooks
a "learning by doing" approach that provides students with the opportunity to evaluate how well they can apply what they have just learned
practical suggestions throughout the text that enhance its pedagogical value and give students an appreciation of the how the concepts apply in the real world
samples of will and trust provisions and an extensively annotated model will
an overview of general nationwide rules
a comprehensive, student-friendly index that allows students to easily find the information they seek
tables for quick location of material relevant to the Uniform Probate Code, Uniform Trust Code, and Internal Revenue Code
updates available on author's website: www.ProfessorBeyer.com

Fine-tuned and updated, the Fourth Edition offers:

materials on recent developments, including: transfer of death deeds; self-settled spendthrift trusts; Rule Against Perpetuities reform; federal gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer tax; Uniform Trust Code; rights of same-sex partners; Medicaid planning; physician-assisted suicide
revised examples that reflect the updated content
updated casebook correlation tables reflecting new editions of the major casebooks

Customer Reviews:

One of the weaker E&E titles

By jen "JL" - December 5, 2007

I normally love E&E. (The civil procedure E&E is wonderful). This one highly lacks.

The explanations (before the examples) barely skim the surface of many concepts and as a result, I kept having to use another supplement to supplement the explanations of this supplement. The explanations also do not not give you enough black letter law.

Strength of this title - UPC intestate distribution discussion and examples. That's about it.

Probably Not What You're Looking For

By Barney Ross "barney0361" - November 29, 2009

You won't buy this book unless you're taking a law school course on trusts and estates. You want a book that will help you pass your exam. It's absurd to think that anyone else would even consider this particular book.

Sadly, no one mentioned this to Gerry Beyer. Instead of fleshing out concepts and explaining the material the way better E&E volumes do (see Glannon's brilliant Civil Procedure), Beyer just skims over the substantive material. Few topics are afforded more than a short paragraph, and his examples seem more obligatory than illustrative. He almost never references case law, even when obvious important cases warrant discussion.

With his constant preaching on the elements of good practice and superficial treatment of substantive law, it often feels like Beyer is trying to write a dummies guide to trust and estate practice. New lawyers might appreciate his insights, if they're trying to begin practicing in this field, but law students (who, as I said,... read more

Invaluable study aid

By Leona - April 6, 2013

I love most of the E&E series and this book was another great buy.

I was a little overwhelmed about the many concepts in my Wills, Trusts and Estates course, and this book was invaluable in helping me understand the course material. The organization was excellent. It laid out all the concepts and sub-concepts relating to intestacy and wills and later in the book it laid out all the kinds of trusts.

I highly recommend this for anyone who needs a conceptual framework for Wills, Trusts, and Estates. If you are looking for black letter law only, this is not the book for you. But if you want to understand the concepts and have them laid out for you in a clear and organized manner, this is the book for you.