Laglott

Laglott, literally “law share,” is a legal concept in Nordic inheritance law describing the portion of a deceased person’s estate that must pass to certain statutory heirs and cannot be fully disposed of by a will or other testamentary disposition. The term is used especially in Sweden (laglott) and is codified in the Inheritance Code (Ärvdabalken); similar concepts exist in Norwegian and Danish law under their respective inheritance statutes. The purpose of laglott is to protect the rights of close relatives, primarily children, to receive a minimum share of the estate, and, depending on jurisdiction, may also affect the surviving spouse's rights.

In general, the estate is divided into a freely disposable portion and the laglott, which is allocated to eligible heirs according to statutory rules. The exact size and distribution of laglott depend on the number of eligible heirs and their relationship to the deceased; additional factors include whether the deceased was survived by a spouse and/or other descendants, and any lifetime gifts or inter vivos dispositions that may affect the calculation. A will that attempts to deprive a child or other eligible heir of their laglott can be challenged in court, and the court may require the disposition to be adjusted to satisfy the statutory minimum.

Laglott remains a central concept in discussions of inheritance law and family protection, and is often consulted in cases involving wills, estates, and disputes over succession.