[WSBAPT] attorneys are officers of the court--therefore essential

[Sara D. Longley]

Susan,

 

I also believe doing estate planning is an essential service.  My office
colleagues and I have conducted signings as you describe, before the "stay
home" order was announced.  

 

For signings going forward I also plan to implement the following: when I
print documents, I handle the paper only with gloves on, and all witnesses
and the notary also wear gloves and take care not to touch anything else
during the signing process.  (I like to keep a scan of the documents, and
any scanning would be done while still using gloves.)  That way, the clients
take home original signed documents that have not been touched by human
hands since the paper was packaged up.

 

My office has not done a will signing since last week, so I would be
interested in any additional precautions others are taking.

 

Best,

Sara Longley

 

 

Sara D. Longley

Ivy Law Group, PLLC

1734 NW Market Street

Phone: (206) 706-2909

Fax: (206) 834-6044

 <mailto:sara at ivylawgroup.com> sara at ivylawgroup.com

Pronouns: she, her, hers

 

 



 

From: wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com
[mailto:wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com] On Behalf Of Susan Donahue
Sent: Friday, March 27, 2020 12:09 PM
To: 'WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv' <wsbapt at lists.wsbarppt.com>
Subject: [WSBAPT] attorneys are officers of the court--therefore essential

 

Hello everyone,

 

I have someone who wants to execute his will.  So, I'm faced with the actual
situation now.  On page 10 of the list of "Essential Critical Infrastructure
Workers' issued by Governor Inslee on March 23, 2020, "The Courts,
consistent with direction from the Washington State Chief Justice" are
listed as part of the "essential workforce".  As an attorney, I am an
officer of the court, therefore, I argue, I can conduct a will signing if
the participants always stay 6' away from one another by approaching a table
outside on my office's porch one at a time to sign, with the table wiped
down and the pen wiped down, etc.

 

Has anyone figured out a way to conduct will signings under these
conditions?  Is my argument too novel?  If I did this, could I be in
violation of the governor's order?

 

I know this has been discussed but in previous threads the issue of
notarizing was the issue-not the issue of witnessing a will.

 

Any thoughts would be helpful.

 

Thank you.

 

 

 

Susan Donahue

Law Office of Susan Donahue

125 West 2nd Avenue, Suite "B"

P.O. Box 81

Twisp, WA 98856

(509) 996-5944 (phone)

(509) 362-9692 (fax)

sdonahue at sdonahuelaw.com <mailto:sdonahue at sdonahuelaw.com> 

www.sdonahuelaw.com <http://www.sdonahuelaw.com> 

 

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