Welcome to this week's edition of IngLesLegal! This week we focus on essential vocabulary in estate planning law — the branch of practice concerned with how a person's assets are managed, protected, and distributed during life and after death. Bilingual legal professionals who work with Latin American clients in the US estate planning context need to move confidently between English and Spanish terminology, since a single mistranslated term can change how a document is understood or enforced.

Meaning: A legal document in which a person states how their property and assets should be distributed after death, and who should care for any minor children.

Equivalent English expressions: Last will and testament, testamentary document

Spanish equivalent: Testamento

Law branches: Estate Planning Law, Probate Law, Family Law

Example: "She updated her will after the birth of her second child to include a new guardian."

Meaning: A legal arrangement in which one party (the trustee) holds and manages assets on behalf of another party (the beneficiary), often used to avoid probate or reduce estate taxes.

Equivalent English expressions: Fiduciary arrangement, trust instrument

Spanish equivalent: Fideicomiso

Law branches: Estate Planning Law, Tax Law, Property Law

Example: "The couple placed their home in a trust to simplify the transfer of ownership to their children."

Meaning: The person named in a will who is responsible for carrying out its instructions, including paying debts and distributing assets.

Equivalent English expressions: Personal representative, estate administrator

Spanish equivalent: Albacea

Law branches: Estate Planning Law, Probate Law

Example: "As executor of her father's estate, she had to file the will with the probate court within thirty days."

Meaning: A person or entity designated to receive assets, benefits, or proceeds from a will, trust, insurance policy, or retirement account.

Equivalent English expressions: Heir, recipient, designated beneficiary

Spanish equivalent: Beneficiario

Law branches: Estate Planning Law, Insurance Law, Family Law

Example: "He named his sister as the primary beneficiary of his life insurance policy."

Meaning: The court-supervised legal process of validating a will, settling debts, and distributing a deceased person's estate.

Equivalent English expressions: Probate proceedings, estate administration process

Spanish equivalent: Proceso sucesorio / Sucesión testamentaria

Law branches: Estate Planning Law, Probate Law, Civil Procedure

Example: "The estate went through probate for nearly a year before the heirs received their inheritance."

Meaning: A legal document that authorizes one person to act on behalf of another in financial, legal, or medical matters.

Equivalent English expressions: POA, letter of attorney

Spanish equivalent: Poder notarial / Poder legal

Law branches: Estate Planning Law, Contract Law, Health Law

Example: "She granted her son power of attorney so he could manage her finances while she was abroad."

Meaning: Describes the situation in which a person dies without a valid will, so state law determines how their assets are distributed.

Equivalent English expressions: Dying without a will, intestacy

Spanish equivalent: Intestado / Sin testamento

Law branches: Estate Planning Law, Probate Law

Example: "Because he died intestate, state intestacy law decided how his property would be divided among relatives."

Meaning: The person who creates and signs a will, expressing their wishes for the distribution of their estate.

Equivalent English expressions: Will-maker, testatrix (for a woman)

Spanish equivalent: Testador / Testadora

Law branches: Estate Planning Law, Probate Law

Example: "The testator must be of sound mind at the time the will is signed for it to be valid."

Meaning: A legal document that states a person's wishes regarding medical treatment if they become unable to communicate those wishes themselves.

Equivalent English expressions: Advance directive, advance healthcare directive

Spanish equivalent: Testamento vital / Voluntades anticipadas

Law branches: Estate Planning Law, Health Law, Bioethics

Example: "His living will specified that he did not want to be kept on life support."

Meaning: A tax imposed on the transfer of a deceased person's estate before it is distributed to heirs, based on the total value of the assets.

Equivalent English expressions: Death tax, inheritance tax (in some jurisdictions)

Spanish equivalent: Impuesto sucesorio / Impuesto a la herencia

Law branches: Estate Planning Law, Tax Law

Example: "Careful planning with a trust can significantly reduce the estate tax owed by the heirs."

Mastering these ten terms gives bilingual legal professionals a solid foundation for drafting, reviewing, and explaining estate planning documents with confidence in both English and Spanish. Join us next week as we continue building your legal English vocabulary, one practice area at a time.