I worked for a wills and estate attorney in NYC. The original, signed and witnessed will went into a vault at the bank, the attorney kept a conformed copy, the person requesting the will got a conformed copy and, if requested by the person, a conformed copy was sent to the executor/trix/administrator. That's it. Once the will was witnessed and signed by all, it becomes a valid will. Anyone making a copy of the original will could ivalidate it simply by removing the staples. It is serious business. If folks are concerned about being taken advantage of, they can have the will reviewed by a trusted third party who has no claim to any part of the estate, In New York State, a person with a claim to an estate cannot witness a will, for obvious reasons. Once wills are submitted for probate (no matter the size of the estate) it becomes a matter of public record. Not all wills are submitted for probate. That said, the will's executor should also know where all the papers relating to the deceased are...burial plot, final wishes, etc. There should also be a Power of Attorney and Living Will done long before it is needed. In a perfect world, all the children should have knowledge of the parents' final wishes. Alas, it is not a perfect world.
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