Are you planning to publish your will in Massachusetts? This is a matter that you need to think long and hard about. You want to be sure that every angle is covered so that contests will be minimal or nonexistent. This includes all those who can be listed as an interested party. These should be your main concern.
How can you identify an interested party?
Will contests can be extremely consuming of time, energy, and money. They can also be very complex and contentious. Part of the problem comes from the need to define just who is an interested party. It doesn’t get easier when you realize that all of your family members can be listed as such, even if you don’t name any of them in your will.
Interested parties in your will can also include all of the people who are listed in your current Last Will and Testament. The only catch here is that the will has to be listed for probate. You should also note that people who were listed in your last will can also fall under the heading of interested parties.
An interested party can contest your will
You will need to design your estate plan in such a way as to minimize contention after you are gone. As noted above, a contest to the will can come from any one of a very large group of people. This can make the process of litigation extremely tricky.
A person who chooses to contest your will needs to know who the other interested parties are. As the executor, you will also need to be able to identify these parties. All of them need to be notified that a claim has been filed. This allows them to participate if they so choose.
