Friedman (Stanford Law School) examines the historical development of the law of succession in the U.S. and the right of the dying to determine what happens to their property after death. The text explores the extent to which the dead can rule over the living--how much legal power the dead hand has, how much the dead hand can control, and whether the dead hand is getting weaker or stronger--all of which raises questions about the legal fate of dynastic, long-term arrangements. In the process, Friedman considers how changes in family structure, changes in the nature of the legal order, demographic change, and changes in social norms and attitudes have influenced the law of succession over time. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) The law of succession rests on a single brute fact: you cant take it with you. Friedmans enlightening social history of the law of succession reveals how inheritance reflects changes values and priorities in American families and society. The law of succession rests on a single brute fact: you cant take it with you. The stock of wealth that turns over as people die is staggeringly large. In the United States alone, some 41 trillion will pass from the dead to the living in the first half of the 21st century. But the social impact of inheritance is more than a matter of money; it is also a matter of what money buys and brings about.Law and custom allow people many ways to pass on their property. As Friedmans enlightening social history reveals, a decline in formal rules, the ascendancy of will substitutes over classic wills, social changes like the rise of the family of affection, changing ideas of acceptable heirs, and the potential disappearance of the estate tax all play a large role in the balance of wealth. Dead Hands uncovers the tremendous social and legal importance of this rite of passage, and how it reflects changing values and priorities in American families and society.
