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Golden Rule (Probate)

Definition

English probate practice guidance from Kenward v. Adams (1975) requiring solicitors taking instructions from an elderly or seriously ill testator to arrange a contemporaneous medical assessment of capacity and retain a record of it.

Related terms

Banks V. Goodfellow (1870)
English common-law case establishing the four-element test for testamentary capacity: the testator must understand the nature of making a will, the extent...
Functional Capacity Assessment
Assessment of capacity in relation to a specific decision, at a specific time, requiring evaluation of whether the person can understand, retain,...
Hindu Marriage Act 1955 § 12
Provision making a marriage voidable (rather than void) where the consent of a party was not free consent because of unsoundness of...
Indian Contract Act 1872 § 11-12
Provisions establishing that sound mind for contracting requires capacity to understand the contract and form a rational judgement as to its effect;...
Insane Delusion
Under the Banks test, a false belief from which the testator cannot be argued, which causes them to dispose of their property...
MacCAT-T
MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool-Treatment; a structured instrument assessing capacity to consent to medical treatment using four domains: understanding, appreciation, reasoning, and expressing...
Mental Capacity Act 2005 (England and Wales)
Statute governing capacity for consent to treatment and other decisions (not testamentary capacity). Requires a person to understand, retain, weigh, and communicate...

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