Leaving More than Money: Mediation Clauses in Estate Planning Documents

33 Pages Posted: 25 Sep 2007 Last revised: 28 Sep 2011

See all articles by Lela P. Love

Lela P. Love

Yeshiva University - Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Stewart E. Sterk

Yeshiva University - Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Abstract

When probate disputes arise, an increasing number of courts have been referring those disputes to mediation. Estate planners, however, have been less proactive about drafting wills to include mediation clauses that would anticipate estate disputes and channel them away from litigation. When a will mandates mediation, the will provides a dispute resolution mechanism designed to preserve family harmony, conserve estate assets, and avoid airing the family's "dirty laundry" - objectives common to many testators.

Mediation clauses in wills are no panacea. They are of little value to testators who exalt control over estate assets above all other concerns, and they are unlikely to bind disappointed family members whose primary claim is "against the will" rather than "under the will." Nevertheless, compared to other alternatives frequently employed by estates lawyers (including "no contest" clauses), mediation clauses present significant potential for reducing estates litigation, with its attendant financial and emotional costs.

Keywords: mediation, estates, wills, probate, contests, estate planning

Suggested Citation

Love, Lela P. and Sterk, Stewart E., Leaving More than Money: Mediation Clauses in Estate Planning Documents. Cardozo Legal Studies Research Paper No. 206, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1016989 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1016989

Lela P. Love (Contact Author)

Yeshiva University - Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law ( email )

55 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10003
United States
(212) 790-0365 (Phone)
(212) 790-0205 (Fax)

Stewart E. Sterk

Yeshiva University - Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law ( email )

55 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10003
United States
212-790-0230 (Phone)
212-790-0205 (Fax)

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
311
Abstract Views
2,536
Rank
177,973
PlumX Metrics