Forced heirship
Forced heirship is a reference to the testamentary laws which limit the discretion of the testator to distribute assets under a will or codicil on death.[1] Forced heirship laws are most prevalent amongst civil law jurisdictions and in Islamic countries; these include major countries such as France, Saudi Arabia, the U.S.A. (in Louisiana)[2], and Japan. Black’s Law Dictionary defines a forced heir as: Advocates of forced heirship contend that it is perfectly proper for testators to be required to make adequate provision for their dependents, and that most countries in the world permit wills to be varied where they would leave dependents destitute.
