Norman F. Dacey; Wrote Book on Ways to Avoid Probate

Norman F. Dacey, 85, who wrote a best-selling book on ways to avoid probate, angering lawyers across the country. Dacey, an estate planner, wrote “How to Avoid Probate” in 1965, showing how trusts could be set up to avoid the delays and expense of probate and how to establish estates without using attorneys. Dacey, who was not a lawyer, was sued by the New York County Lawyer’s Assn. for practicing law without a license, but the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967 upheld a lower court ruling in his favor. “Probate” sold more than 2 million copies. He also wrote “What’s Wrong With Your Life Insurance” and “Dacey on Mutual Funds.” In London on Wednesday of a circulatory ailment.