Difference between will and intent


When confronted with these terms, they seem to be equivalent. Both related to what a person wants to do or to become.

Intent is the desire to do something. Intent refers to the deliberation or resolution to perform an action.

In legal English, intent is the driving force behind one's actions. In criminal law, the criminal intent or intention is an element of crime , referred to as mens rea, in contrast to actus reus, which is the action itself. The court will assess which of these elements were present when committing a crime for determining the sentence.

Will is the action which causes the intent to come to realization. In this respect, this is not a legal term, it is infrequently used in legal English language.

please note that will is also the everyday form of the last will and testament, which is the legal declaration of a person's wishes regarding the disposal of his or her property or estate after death.