Abstract
Formal Wills are defined by statute because statutorily specified formal
features are needed to give them validity. The features which include
writing and proper execution were not all conceived simultaneously with
the notion of testamentary disposition as we have them today. The
statutory journey of these features may have begun before the birth of
Wills under the 1837 Wills of England. This article traces the use of
formal features in testamentary disposition to meet the yearnings of
persons who desired their last wishes to be honoured. Change, which is a
prevalent feature in the development of Wills, appears to be undermined
after the Wills Act, despite the shortfalls in the application of the
statutory requirements. This paper analyses the subject, and notes that
formal features can be made self-proven and all-encompassing when
communicated through technological means. The paper asserts that
change in the direction of technology is required for Wills made under the
digital era. It proposes the incorporation of technological changes into
Wills and recommends amendment to the provisions on the Wills law to
include the use of technological devices in communicating Wills.