Press Release
Michael Mello offers roadmap to wills and estate planning
Category: Business, CompaniesBermuda Network News
Hamilton, Bermuda: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 -
(Hamilton, Bermuda, February 19th, 2008) – Mello Jones & Martin today announces the launch of the sixth edition of The Laws of Wills & Estates, written by founding partner Michael Mello, QC, JP, TEP.
The first edition was born as a result of a talk given to the American Ladies in Bermuda Club (ALIB), when the Michael Mello learnt that very little information was available to the general public on the subjects of wills and estates. In future editions, the book was expanded to make the book useful to local legal practitioners as well, though it retains its easy readability.
According to Michael Mello: “Of the topics we are most afraid to discuss, making a will is near the top of the list, as it means making arrangements for our death. Most Bermudians will tell you they want their family and friends to know their last wishes, yet too many have never taken the time to set out in a will what those wishes may be.”
The rapid increase in Bermuda’s death duties since 1976 has made more Bermudians take notice and embark on estate planning—one of the most important considerations when making a will.
The sixth edition includes numerous expanded and new chapters. These include an expanded chapter on making a will; a new chapter on the revival of revoked wills; more information concerning the primary family homestead designation; and new sections on lost wills and the resealing of foreign grants respectively. The chapter on children has been completely rewritten due to the abolishment by the Children Amendment Act 2002 of the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children in order to ensure that the rights of a child are not affected by the fact that his or her parents were not married. A new chapter on same-sex marriage is included because of the legal consequences in Bermuda for same-sex couples who have or who may enter into foreign same-sex marriages or civil partnerships.
The sixth edition has also been thoroughly revised and updated to take into account the changes in both the law and practice since the fifth edition, as well as citations of recent court cases. The book is available at Bermuda Bookstore and The Bookmart in Brown & Co.
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