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About WTI

Affordable, career-focused education—built for real-world success.

Washington Technical Institute is a 100% online career college committed to providing practical, high-quality training without the burden of student loan debt. 

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PLAW-208: Wills, Trusts, & Estates

This online paralegal course in wills, trusts, and estates provides students with the legal and practical skills to assist with estate planning, probate administration, and succession law. Topics include drafting and contesting wills, the role of personal representatives, trust creation, tax considerations, and long-term care issues. Students gain hands-on experience preparing estate planning documents and supporting attorneys in probate and trust practices.

Course Description

PLAW-208: Wills, Trusts, & Estates is an online paralegal course that explores the legal foundations and practical processes of estate planning and administration. Using Wills, Trusts, and Estate Administration by Janis Walter and Emma Wright Fletcher, this course examines the creation and execution of wills, the laws of succession, the probate process, and the establishment of trusts. Students will learn how to draft wills, evaluate their validity, and understand when they may be modified, revoked, or contested.

The course also covers the duties of personal representatives, the distinctions between formal and informal probate, and the tax implications involved in estate administration. Additional emphasis is placed on the use of trusts—including living and special-purpose trusts—along with long-term care considerations.

Through practical assignments, students will develop skills in document preparation, client interaction, and probate procedures. This course prepares learners to support attorneys in estate planning and administration practices, making it ideal for those pursuing careers in probate law, trust management, or paralegal services within elder law and estate planning firms.

Textbook: Wills, Trusts, and Estate Administration by Janis Walter, Emma Wright Fletcher | 9th Edition | Copyright 2022

Course Objectives

Explain the purposes and legal requirements for wills, trusts, and estate planning.

Identify the laws of succession and their application in testate and intestate cases.

Draft and analyze wills, including their validity, modification, revocation, and contest.

Describe the roles and responsibilities of personal representatives in estate administration.

Apply probate and trust procedures to practical scenarios, including tax and long-term care considerations.

Demonstrate the ability to use forms, checklists, and client conferences in estate planning practice.

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Course Contents

The Estate Plan and the Purpose and Need for a Will

The Concept of Property Related to Wills, Trusts, and Estate Administration

The Law of Succession: Death Testate or Intestate

Wills: Validity Requirements, Modification, Revocation, and Contests

Preparation to Draft a Will: Checklists and the Conference with the Client

Final Draft and Execution of a Valid Will

The Participants and the Proper Court

Personal Representatives: Types, Pre-Probate Duties, and Appointment

Probate and Estate Administration

Informal Probate Administration

Tax Considerations in the Administration of Estates

Introduction to Trusts

Classification of Trusts, the Living Trust, and Other Special Trusts

Estate Planning

Long-Term Care

Single Course or Program Option

This course may be purchased individually or as part of the certificate programs listed below.

Master Paralegal
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Senior Paralegal
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National Paralegal
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Paralegal Concentration
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Recommended Prerequisites

Accreditation You Can Trust

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Washington Technical Institute is fully accredited by the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS)—a regional accrediting agency recognized for setting high standards in education. This accreditation affirms that our programs, operations, and outcomes meet rigorous academic and institutional benchmarks. MSA-CESS accreditation is a mark of quality that ensures our students receive an education that is both credible and respected. It also means WTI is committed to continuous improvement, student success, and accountability at every level.