He who has written himself heir.

Explanation

One who names himself as heir in an instrument he has drafted is regarded with suspicion — a man cannot be the author of his own entitlement to another's estate.

Where this applies

• An attorney drafts a client's will naming himself as the primary beneficiary, and the court views the bequest with suspicion because a drafter should not make himself the heir of his own instrument.
• An accountant who prepared a trust document inserted a clause directing fees to his own firm, and the court scrutinizes the self-serving provision because a man cannot be the author of his own entitlement.
• A corporate officer drafts a board resolution awarding himself a large bonus, and the court examines the resolution with heightened skepticism because one who writes himself into a benefit is inherently suspect.

See also

• 5.7.1 Every will is completed by death.