Legatee

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The Law of Wills, Trusts and Estate Administration

Part of the common law series
Wills
Wills · Legal history of wills
Joint wills and mutual wills · Will contract
Codicils · Holographic will · Oral will
Parts of a Will
Attestation clause · Residuary clause
Incorporation by reference
Contesting a Will
Testamentary capacity · Undue influence
Insane delusion · Fraud
Problems of property disposition
Lapse and anti-lapse
Ademption · Abatement
Acts of independent significance
Elective share · Pretermitted heir
Trusts
Generic Terms:
Express trust · Constructive trust
Resulting trust
Common Types of Trust:
Bare trust · Discretionary trust
Accumulation and Maintenance trust
Interest in Possession trust
Charitable trust · Purpose trust
Incentive trust
Other Specific Types of Trust:
Protective trust · Spendthrift trust
Life insurance trust · Remainder trust
Life interest trust · Reversionary interest trust
Honorary trust · Asset-protection trust
Special needs trust: (general)/(U.S.)
Doctrines governing trusts
Pour-over will · Cy-près doctrine
Estate Administration
Intestacy · Testator · Probate
Power of appointment
Simultaneous death · Slayer rule
Disclaimer of interest
Other related topics
Living Wills (advance directives)
Totten trust
Other areas of the Common Law
Contract law · Tort law · Property law
Criminal law · Evidence

A legatee, in the law of wills, is any individual or organization bequeathed any portion of a testator's estate.

[edit] Usage

Depending upon local custom, legatees may be called "devisees." Traditionally, "legatees" took personal property under will and "devisees" took land under will. Brooker v. Brooker, (Tex. Civ.App., 76 S.W.2d 180, 183) asserts that "devisee" may refer to "those who take under will without any distinction between realty and personalty...though commonly it refers to one who takes personal property under a will."