Can joint executors act independently (jointly and severally) when carrying out my Will?

Generally, unless a consensus is stipulated in the will, each executor, on his/her own, can represent the estate (i.e. an executor does not require approval from all the other executors before instituting an action to carry out the Will).

Regardless, some institutions and/or specific assets (e.g. oversea assets or land, etc.) might require signatures/approval from all of the executors before the asset can be claimed and distributed by the executors. Additionally, joint executors can dispute against each other and/or the estate of the deceased if there are disagreements on how the Will is being executed.

So if you intend to have joint executors in-lieu of sole executors, best to make sure that they can work well together!

If you would like to specify for the executors to act jointly only or to act jointly and severally, you can do so by keying either of the following under Select Clauses >> Other Instructions.

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