Unlike the contract of inheritance, a will and testament, and statutory succession, which belong to universal succession, legacies are a form of singular succession. In contrast to universal succession, they comprise only individual parts of the assets of the estate. This circumstance also leads to the fact that the beneficiary is not liable in the place of the decedent for his creditors, but becomes a creditor himself, who has a claim against the heirs. The legacy is usually arranged within the framework of a testamentary disposition.
Although a person who is not an heir usually benefits from the legacy, this is not necessarily the case. Existing heirs can also receive legacies. A particularly important form is the so-called care legacy (see below).
