Codicils & Republication
Wills & Succession · Lesson 09
Codicils & Republication
這一課問的是：補充條款如何修改遺囑？再公告效果為何？
ActorActObjectStandardConsequence
Issue · what this lesson is really about
How does a codicil modify a will, and what is the effect of republication?
這一課問的是：補充條款如何修改遺囑？再公告效果為何？
Trigger words & phrases that should flag this issue:
codicilrepublishamendsupplement
Core Terminology · 7 must-know
Tap a card to flip and reveal the meaning.
codicil
Tap to see meaning
Supplement to existing will.
補充條款。
republication
Tap to see meaning
Doctrine: codicil republishes prior will as of codicil date.
再公告。
execution
Tap to see meaning
Codicil must satisfy will-execution formalities.
執行。
inconsistency
Tap to see meaning
Codicil may revoke parts of prior will by inconsistency.
不一致。
Rule Sentence · the workhorse
A codicil is a testamentary instrument supplementing or modifying a prior will; it must be executed with the same formalities as a will, and under the doctrine of republication, executing a codicil republishes the prior will as if executed on the codicil's date.
Sentence Anatomy · 5 roles, 5 colors
Every rule sentence breaks into five visual roles.
Actor 行為人testator立遺囑人
Act 行為executing codicil執行補充條款
Object 對象prior will先前遺囑
Standard 法律標準execution formalities + republication執行要件 + 再公告
Consequence 後果will modified遺囑修改
Casebook Snapshot · a real American case
In re Pavlinko's Estate
Holding. When spouses mistakenly executed each other's wills, the strict statutory formality requirements barred treating either as the intended document, even though intent was clear. Subsequent reforms have softened this rule.
Why it matters. Pavlinko exemplifies the old strict formalism; modern reforms (harmless error) often save such cases.
Pavlinko：傳統嚴格形式；現代無害錯誤改革常救濟之。
Common Mistakes · what trips students
✗ codicil 不需要 witnesses。
✓ Must satisfy will execution formalities.
須符遺囑執行要件。
Mini IRAC · build the Application
Issue. Does T's properly executed codicil giving $50,000 to A modify T's prior will leaving $30,000 to A?
Rule. A codicil executed with proper formalities modifies the prior will, with inconsistencies between codicil and prior will resolved in favor of the codicil.
Application (model). T's codicil gives $50,000 to A, conflicting with the prior will's $30,000 gift. Because a properly executed codicil modifies the prior will and inconsistencies favor the codicil, the fact that the codicil specifies $50,000 to A — an amount inconsistent with the prior will's $30,000 — means the codicil's terms supersede.
Pick the right element for each blank:
g1.
g2.
Conclusion. Therefore, A receives $50,000 under the modified will.
MBE Check · multiple choice
T executed a will in 2018 leaving $10,000 to A. In 2020, T executed a codicil naming a different executor but otherwise silent about A. A predeceased T in 2019. Does A's gift lapse?
Practice Drill · tap to build the rule
Drop the chips here in correct order:
Tap chips to add → tap chips in the target to remove: