Using an effective "learn by doing" approach, Wills, Trusts, and Estates for Legal Assistants emphasizes examples and applications, and includes hundreds of real life situations with detailed explanations. Students understand what the rules of law mean and how they apply in a real world context. The complete topic coverage introduces wills and trusts, intestate succession, estate administration, nonprobate transfers, and other estate planning issues such as taxes and malpractice. A balanced, experienced author team skillfully blends theory with practice. Extensive pedagogy reinforces the text, with marginal terms and a glossary, ethical points, checklists, practice tips, and sample forms. The instructor"s manual provides a summary of chapters, a model course outline, exam questions, assignment ideas, exercises, and a research guide for wills, trusts, and estates. The Fourth Edition has been brought up-to-date, reflecting recent developments such as the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 and its impact on Federal gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer taxes. The 2008 amendments to the Uniform Probate Code are presented along with important new material on trust protectors, the rights of same-sex partners, and physician-assisted suicide. Features: "learning by doing" approach emphasis on examples, applications, and exercises hundreds real life situations with detailed explanations complete topic coverage wills and trusts intestate successionestate administration nonprobate transfers trustsestate planning issues such as taxes and malpractice extensive pedagogy marginal terms and glossary ethical pointschecklistspractice tips and sample forms balanced, experienced author team combines theory and practice summary of chaptersa model course outline exam questions, assignment ideas, and exercises research guide for wills, trusts, and estates Thoroughly updated, the revised Fourth Edition presents recent developments and trends including: Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 and its impact on Federal gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer taxes2008 amendments to the Uniform Probate Code trust protectorsrights of same-sex partners physician-assisted suicide