Quote:
Originally Posted by zetta
When you make up a will, does a copy normally get filed with the state somewhere, or is it up to you and your lawyer to keep track of it?
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Wills are private documents until they are public. That means everything in the will is private until it is probated (this is a fancy term that means entered into the Probate Court and accepted as the "true" will and testament of the decedent (dead person)). Once "probated" that will and all its contents are exposed to the public. That is why many people choose to have a "pour over" trust, in which all the decedents assets are bequethed to a trust upon death so that the will is public, but how the money is distributed and to whom is completely private.
Of course, your real question is who keeps the "will" document for the decedent. In many cases (and this varies from state to state) the lawyer who drafted the will, will keep an original copy for the testator (person who's will it is). It is ALWAYS a good idea to have an extra copy of the will with another trusted person. Lawyer lose things, so do trustees. Have extra originals handy.