Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Estate Planning With Shaq And Strom: Teaching Post-Mortem Intimacy Audits, Adrienne D. Davis

Scholarship@WashULaw

This Article highlights the importance of using both popular culture references and fictional show characters as mediums for teaching courses on Trusts and Estates. Utilizing post-mortem intimacy audits, specifically through pop culture pedagogical hypotheticals and case studies, Professor Davis highlights the importance of understanding doctrines within Trusts and Estates Law. Focusing on the examples of Shaquille O’Neal and Strom Thurmond, this Article highlights three important lessons for students: the fragility of estate planning, the effects of individual estate planning on groups’ broader wealth and political equality, and the role of private law in distributing legal rights and political equality.