Editing Will and testament (section)

===Content of the will===
Required content varies, depending on the jurisdiction, but generally includes the following:
* The testator must clearly identify themselves as the maker of the will, and that a will is being made; this is commonly called "publication" of the will, and is typically satisfied by the words "last will and testament" on the face of the document.
* The testator should declare that he or she revokes all previous wills and [[Codicil (will)|codicils]]. Otherwise, a subsequent will revokes earlier wills and codicils only to the extent to which they are inconsistent. However, if a subsequent will is completely inconsistent with an earlier one, the earlier will is considered completely revoked by implication.
* The testator may demonstrate that he or she has the capacity to dispose of their property ("sound mind"), and does so freely and willingly.
* The testator must sign and date the will, usually in the presence of at least two disinterested witnesses (persons who are not beneficiaries). There may be extra witnesses, these are called "supernumerary" witnesses, if there is a question as to an interested-party conflict. Some jurisdictions, notably [[Pennsylvania]], have long abolished any requirement for witnesses. In the United States, [[Louisiana]] requires both attestation by two witnesses as well as notarization by a notary public. [[Holographic will]]s generally require no witnesses to be valid, but depending on the jurisdiction may need to be proved later as to the authenticity of the testator's signature.
* If witnesses are designated to receive property under the will they are witnesses to, this has the effect, in many jurisdictions, of either (i) disallowing them to receive under the will, or (ii) invalidating their status as a witness. In a growing number of states in the United States, however, an interested party is only an improper witness as to the clauses that benefit him or her (for instance, in [[Illinois]]).
* The testator's signature must be placed at the end of the will. If this is not observed, any text following the signature will be ignored, or the entire will may be invalidated if what comes after the signature is so material that ignoring it would defeat the testator's intentions.
* One or more beneficiaries (devisees, legatees) must generally be clearly stated in the text, but some jurisdictions allow a valid will that merely revokes a previous will, revokes a disposition in a previous will, or names an executor.

A will may not include a requirement that an heir commit an illegal, immoral, or other act against public policy as a condition of receipt.

In [[community property]] jurisdictions, a will cannot be used to disinherit a surviving spouse, who is entitled to at least a portion of the testator's estate. In the United States, children may be disinherited by a parent's will, except in Louisiana, where a minimum share is guaranteed to surviving children except in specifically enumerated circumstances.<ref>For example, if the child attempted to kill the parent.</ref> Many civil law countries follow a similar rule. In England and Wales from 1933 to 1975, a will could disinherit a spouse; however, since the [[Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975]] such an attempt can be defeated by a court order if it leaves the surviving spouse (or other entitled dependent) without "reasonable financial provision".