Getting Legal Documents Signed During COVID

Wills, trusts, health care directives, powers of attorney, and legal guardian nominations are on many of our hearts and minds as COVID-19 compels us to face our own fragility and mortality. It’s not as if we didn’t know we would all die or become incapacitated one day, but within our current reality that “one day” has become an ever more real possibility.

One way to feel more in control over what’s happening out there is to make sure we all have our legal affairs in order at home. That way, if it does happen now, our families aren’t left with a big mess to clean up while they are grieving.

Now, if you are trying to get your affairs in order right now, you may be just getting some basic documents in place. You may even be doing it yourself. If that’s the case, it’s very important for you to know that the cost of a failed plan can be very high for the people you love. Even worse, if your documents are not properly signed, they will not work at all and if your documents don’t work, your family could be stuck in court or conflict, which is probably the exact thing you want to avoid by handling your estate  planning now.

If you care enough about estate  planning, you will want to make sure your plan will work when your family needs it. There are many ways that plans fail, but one of the worst ways we see is when someone starts a plan and doesn’t get it signed properly or signed at all. Some legal documents require two witnesses and some require notarization; however, in today’s social-distancing reality, these signatures could be difficult to come by. Some states have allowed remote notarization, others have not.

While we understand you likely have a desire to get documents in place now, we also believe there is going to be a significant increase in conflict and litigation as a result of DIY estate  planning documents. Let’s keep that from happening to the people you love. If you want to get your plan done the right way, contact us and let’s have a 15-minute conversation about your next steps.

This article is a service of Levi Alexander, Personal Family Lawyer®. We don’t just draft documents; we ensure you make informed and empowered decisions about life and death, for yourself and the people you love.  That’s why we offer a Family Wealth Planning Session,™ during which you will get more financially organized than you’ve ever been before, and make all the best choices for the people you love. You can begin by calling our office today to schedule a Family Wealth Planning Session and mention this article to find out how to get this $750 session at no charge.

Photo by Matthias Zomer from Pexels