Creating a new Will has become the preferred way to change an estate plan. However, creating a new Will without regard to the old one makes the Will vulnerable to court challenges. The old one must be emphatically revoked. To revoke a Will, you have a few relatively simple options:

• Create a subsequent Will (in other words: a new Will), and in the new Will, you should stipulate that you revoke all previous Wills. This method also allows you to revoke a provision of the old Will while maintaining the rest of the Will. Remember, too, that all requirements of the first Will remain the same for the subsequent Will, i.e., the testator must have testamentary intent and testamentary capacity, the Will must have been created with undue influence, fraud, or duress, and the proper signatures and witnesses must comply with the law.
• Physically destroy the old Will (and all copies) by any means necessary, like burning it, shredding it, or ripping out the signature. This method does not allow you to simply tear out one or more provisions that you want to change or terminate. Destruction by physical act destroys the entire Will.

Codicils have all of the legal requirements of a regular will, meaning they must show testamentary intent and must satisfy all of the other requirements of validity in California. Codicils are not intended to be a complete Will, and that’s why this method is not preferred: it leaves the testator with two valid testamentary instruments floating around, and if one is lost, it opens the door to challenges to the Will.