Wills in Hunt Valley, MD

Legal help with wills for Hunt Valley, Maryland residents from The Law Office of Thomas K. Mallon in Towson.

The Law Office of Thomas K. Mallon, LLC provides wills assistance for people in Hunt Valley. The information below explains the issues to discuss with an attorney and connects you with the firm’s original Maryland service guide.

Working with our Towson office from Hunt Valley

Hunt Valley is in Baltimore County, Maryland. The Law Office of Thomas K. Mallon, LLC serves this area from 1107 Kenilworth Drive, Suite 305, Towson, MD 21204. This is the firm’s Towson office, not a separate office in this community.

Maryland law applies throughout the service area. Where a matter must be filed depends on the type of proceeding and the facts, not simply on the location of the attorney’s office. Discuss residence, existing orders, and any pending case at your consultation.

Read the Baltimore County service-area guide for the original local context.

A will directs who receives your property, names the person who will administer your estate, and, if you have minor children, nominates a guardian. Without one, Maryland’s intestacy statute decides the first question and a court decides the others.

What Maryland requires

To make a valid will in Maryland you must be at least 18 and legally competent, and the will must be:

In writing. Audio, video and oral wills are not recognized. Electronic wills are permitted only in narrow circumstances.
Signed by you, or by someone signing at your direction and in your presence.
Attested and signed by two credible witnesses in your presence.

Handwritten wills are usually not enough

This surprises people. A holographic will, meaning one entirely in your handwriting and unwitnessed, is valid in Maryland only if made by someone serving in the armed services and signed outside the United States. Even then it becomes void one year after discharge, unless the person has died or lacks testamentary capacity by then.

For everyone else, a handwritten document without two witnesses is not a valid Maryland will.

A will made in another state

A will prepared elsewhere generally remains valid in Maryland if it was executed according to the law of the place where it was made. It is still worth a review after a move, because the rest of your plan and your assets may not travel as cleanly.

What a will does not control

This is where plans most often go wrong. A will governs probate assets only. It does not override:

Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance
Property held as joint tenants with right of survivorship
Payable-on-death and transfer-on-death accounts
Assets already held in a trust

An outdated beneficiary form beats a carefully drafted will every time. Reviewing those designations is part of doing this properly, and it is especially important after a divorce.

If you die without a will

Maryland’s intestacy rules distribute your estate to relatives in a statutory order. The result is frequently not what people assume, particularly for blended families and for spouses where there are also surviving children or parents.

Changing a will

A will can be revoked or replaced while you have capacity. Marriage, divorce, births and deaths in the family are all reasons to revisit one. So is buying property or a change in who you would want as personal representative or guardian.

Official resources

Talk with a Towson attorney

The Law Office of Thomas K. Mallon, LLC offers a free consultation. Call (410) 847-9075 or request a consultation online. The office is at 1107 Kenilworth Drive, Suite 305, Towson, MD 21204.

This page provides general information about Maryland law. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Maryland law changes, and how it applies depends on the facts of your situation.

Wills resources

Read the full Maryland wills guide. Bring relevant agreements, court papers, financial records, and a list of questions that relate to your situation. If you have received papers with a deadline, tell the office when you contact us.

Other services in Hunt Valley

Discuss your situation

or call (410) 847-9075. Advice about your particular matter requires a consultation. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship.

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