[WSBAPT] protecting address information during probate

[jcrspicatto at gmail.com]

I has this happen to me inadvertently one time years ago when the PR, my
client, completely forgot (when he provided the address) to tell me that his
brother had been convicted of raping his sister and the sister's address was
confidential through the State of Washington.  In the future, I put a
question about address confidentiality in my client questionnaire.  The
needs for confidentiality did come up in a few cases after that.  I simply
contacted the heir directly, explained that certain notices had to be sent
out and we needed proof of such in the court file, and asked for the heir's
cooperation.  I always got it.  Sure enough, I'd mail out the notice or
whatever it was, with a receipt and a return envelope.  The heir would
always sign the receipt and mail it back to me.  Then, I would file the
receipt in lieu of a Declaration of Mailing.  Sure, it was a little extra
work on my part, but it was a very small price for the estate to pay to
protect a vulnerable heir.

We are so used to litigation that its easy to forget that gentle, accurate
explanations and a request for cooperation can frequently work to get us all
where we need to be.

With kindest regards,

Jenny Rydberg
206-550-5491
"The vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It is the most powerful
non-violent tool we have in a democracy." - John Lewis