What makes a Will legal in Texas? Wills may seem like a daunting task to undertake but it is a lot easier than you may think. As long as you meet specific requirements ahead of time then you and your loved ones will have a far easier time once it is needed. Witnesses One of the few requirements a will does need is witnesses. Specifically two witnesses who are not going to gain anything in the will. Much like a marriage license the witnesses attest to seeing you signing the document in question. This may seem like a tougher task than it really is but anyone can be a witness as long as they do not benefit from the will. Co-workers, people from any groups you may participate in, even total strangers if you are comfortable with that. They do not have to read the will to attest to you signing it. Sound mind One of the other requirements of making a will a legal document is that the individual that the will pertains to is of a sound mind when creating it. What this means in layman’s terms, is that the person the will is for has to have all of their mental faculties during the creation and signing of the will. This is to make sure that no one is taking advantage of someone that may not have the mental capacity to understand the situation. For example someone with a severe mental disability or suffering from diminished capacity like Alzheimer’s or dementia. As these individuals must be cared for because they cannot care for themselves they cannot hold the responsibility that is needed to make proper judgments regarding their assets after they have passed. In these cases the legal guardian would have to be the one to act on behalf of the individual in question.
