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Full-Text Articles in Law
The Digital Death Conundrum: How Federal And State Laws Prevent Fiduciaries From Managing Digital Property, Christina L. Kunz, Damien A. Riehl, James D. Lamm, Peter J. Rademacher
The Digital Death Conundrum: How Federal And State Laws Prevent Fiduciaries From Managing Digital Property, Christina L. Kunz, Damien A. Riehl, James D. Lamm, Peter J. Rademacher
Faculty Scholarship
This article discusses four types of fiduciaries, each of which is affected by the vast growth in and the need to manage digital property. The article begins by defining digital property and discussing why it must be managed. The article then discusses how digital property affects powers of attorney, conservatorships, probate administration, and trusts. After illustrating the problems that digital property creates for each fiduciary, the article shifts to resolving these problems. It begins by debunking purported solutions by both private and governmental entities. It concludes by offering a holistic approach to resolving the conflicts facing account holders, fiduciaries, and …
The Ghostwritten Will, Ralph C. Brashier
The Ghostwritten Will, Ralph C. Brashier
Ralph C. Brashier
Courts have long assumed that one’s power to make a will is too personal to transfer to another person. This article demonstrates, however, that the non-delegability rule is a fallacy. In showing that the ghostwritten will is and has long been a valid (though largely hidden) part of American law, the article frees legislators, judges, and scholars to consider ways in which direct authorization of the ghostwritten will can serve the needs of a rapidly aging society. In particular, the article demonstrates that new laws recognizing a principal’s power to grant her agent will-making authority would provide results far more …
Defining Capacity: The Competing Interests Of Autonomy And Need, Nancy J. Knauer
Defining Capacity: The Competing Interests Of Autonomy And Need, Nancy J. Knauer
Nancy J. Knauer
This Essay addresses the question of capacity - the basic threshold determination that pervades all areas of the law. An individual must have the requisite level of capacity to consent to sex, refuse medical treatment, enter into a contract, marry, divorce, relinquish parental rights, execute a will, make a gift, donate organs, vote, serve on a jury, stand trial, and even to hire a lawyer. The standards regulating determinations of capacity are not monolithic. An individual may lack the capacity to contract, but may have the requisite capacity to write a will or to refuse life-sustaining medical treatment. As individuals, …