Legislative Lapses: Some Suggestions for Probate Code Reform in Washington

This Article points out a number of lapses in the law of wills in Washington, which were encountered in the course of research for a treatise on that subject, and suggests possible ways to reconcile or eliminate them. Because that research was probably the first attempt in some time to look at the entire law of wills in Washington as a unified whole, it afforded the first opportunity in many years to discover and consider some of the more obscure (as well as the more obvious) lapses in the law. In addition, the Article will discuss areas of the law that are nominally consistent, but in the author’s opinion are in need of rethinking in light of current social or legal developments.