Believing that you are entitled to more of a dead family member's estate than is spelled out in their last will & testament is not sufficient for a judge to make such a change. Mere belief that the decedent's estate distribution is wrong or unfair is clearly not a winning argument. There instead needs to be a legally recognized basis upon which a court will overturn the specific words of a dead person, which is otherwise legally controlling. Reasons that have the potential to legally challenge and overturn a last will & testament include:

- failure to complying with drafting / execution requirements

- lack of capacity at time of signing

- undue influence or duress

- inadequate support provided for dependents

- physical, mental and/or emotional vulnerability

At the law firm of Neufeld Legal P.C., one of the first things that we do is assess whether there is a legal basis to challenge the deceased family member's last will & testament and what evidence exists to support and refute this contention. This analysis is critical to the assessment of the merits of your legal position, it's strengths and weaknesses, such that the appropriate approach might be undertaken in setting your position in the face of the last will & testament.

For complex inheritance disputes and contesting wills, contact estate litigation lawyer Christopher R. Neufeld, feel free to call 403-400-4092 or email at chris@neufeldlegal.com.

Lawyer Christopher Neufeld is admitted to practice law in Alberta (law firm mailing address: 77 Tuscany Ridge Mews NW, Calgary, Alberta). The content of this website is purely for informational purposes and should not be relied upon - as you should consult a lawyer with respect to the specifics of your particular matter. Please review our legal disclaimer and privacy policy at www.NeufeldLegal.com prior to contacting us and be advised that contacting us does not create a lawyer-client relationship. We require execution of of our retainer agreement, which establishes specific constraints with respect to our representation and our ability to discontinue same under specific circumstances, and payment of the retainer fee, prior to assuming your representation. Copyright 2017.