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<DIV>Thank goodness I learned early on to give all original documents to
clients. An article appeared in the bar journal (this was back in Oregon)
with that advice, and I gathered up my five or so years worth of original
Wills and sent them to their owners with the requisite US mail
precautions. Even with the modest number of Wills I had then, it was
onerous. But as an illustration of the wisdom of that practice, I
moved to Washington a few years later, went on inactive status with the
Oregon bar, and vanished from the lives and minds of my Oregon
clients. Thankfully I hadn’t obligated myself to pointlessly and
confusingly store their original Wills.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I always give clients a closing letter with suggestions on where to store
documents, and cautions about amending them. When a client asks
about a firebox at home, I recommend one that locks with a key, and
I tell them to leave the key in the lock. That way a burglar can dump the
box out on the floor and see it contains nothing valuable.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Yes, clients may lose or improperly alter documents. I had to
decide how much of my own time and liability I was willing to devote to
preventing that. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I do keep a copy of all executed documents, and I’ve had to probate
my copy of the lost Will once or twice. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Regards,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Felicia
Value<BR>Attorney at Law<BR>PO Box 578/116 North Third Street<BR>La Conner, WA
98257<BR>(360) 466-2088<BR>www.skagitprobate.com<BR><BR>NOTE: I do not use
encrypted email. Messages sent to or<BR>from my office via email are not secure
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<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5">
<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=teunisj@wyerslawpc.com
href="mailto:teunisj@wyerslawpc.com">Teunis J. Wyers</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Monday, March 07, 2016 8:51 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com
href="mailto:wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com">WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv</A>
</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: [WSBAPT] Original Wills</DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>
<DIV
style='FONT-SIZE: small; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri"; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline'>
<DIV dir=ltr>You folks have discussed the disadvantages of storing wills in safe
deposit boxes. My advice to clients about use of a "fireproof" box at home
is that if it is small enough to be picked up and carried off, that is exactly
what a burglar, or a nefarious family member, will do. Some people have
gun safes, which are huge and heavy; for clients who own those, I recommend
storage there.
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>A fundamental problem with clients retaining possession or control of
original unrecorded estate planning documents is that they cannot be
trusted. It is not uncommon for an elderly or lonely or irrational person
to decide to attempt an amendment, with scissors and tape or whatever method
seems to make sense at the time, not knowing that he or she may be revoking the
document entirely.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Many of my clients opt to have me retain their original documents. I
do not charge for that service. It is also my practice to reach out to all
estate planning clients every 4 or 5 years to request a plan review. This
practice provides the clients regular reminders that I have their documents, and
gives me the opportunity to make the routine upgrades that make an estate plan
work as intended when the time comes.</DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_extra>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On Sat, Mar 5, 2016 at 9:24 AM, Tom White <SPAN
dir=ltr><<A href="mailto:thomas.henry.white@gmail.com"
target=_blank>thomas.henry.white@gmail.com</A>></SPAN> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">
<DIV dir=ltr>
<DIV>
<DIV>Thank you, Lisa, Kokie, Sarah, and others. Very
helpful.<BR><BR></DIV>Regards,<BR><BR></DIV>Tom White<BR></DIV>
<DIV class=HOEnZb>
<DIV class=h5>
<DIV class=gmail_extra>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On Sat, Mar 5, 2016 at 3:55 AM, attorneytoner <SPAN
dir=ltr><<A href="mailto:attorneytoner@earthlink.net"
target=_blank>attorneytoner@earthlink.net</A>></SPAN> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">
<DIV>I now advise clients to keep originals in a safe deposit box or home
safe, and make sure the PR has access. I sometimes use duplicate originals
if the client doesn't have a safe place or there is danger of losing
documents in moves.<SPAN><BR><BR>-------- Original message --------<BR>From:
Lisa Schuchman <<A href="mailto:lisa@lisaschuchman.com"
target=_blank>lisa@lisaschuchman.com</A>> <BR>Date: 03/04/2016 3:58 PM
(GMT-08:00) <BR>To: WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <<A
href="mailto:wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com"
target=_blank>wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com</A>> <BR>Subject: Re: [WSBAPT]
Original Wills <BR><BR></SPAN><SPAN>
<DIV>At the start of my practice, I learned from my mentors to keep original
wills for clients. After 20+ years I had so many I realized it didn't make
sense to be liable for them. This became clearer when I tried to contact all
the testators to return them. After search, clerical and mailing costs I
still had too many (maybe 150). I have to keep these till I retire and then
I'll have to pay to file them at court. Now I talk to clients about
alternatives for safekeeping and making sure someone has knowledge and
access. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>It had never occurred to me to create duplicate originals till I
probated an original will and learned that the estate planning attorney also
had an original. It turned out to be the same will but almost caused a lot
of confusion. I think it's a mistake, though I'm open to learning how it
could be useful. <BR><BR>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt">Lisa E. Schuchman </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><A href="tel:206-325-2801" target=_blank
value="+12063252801">206-325-2801</A></DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.lisaschuchman.com"
target=_blank>www.lisaschuchman.com</A></DIV>
<DIV><PRE style="WORD-WRAP: break-word"><FONT face=.SFUIDisplay-Regular><SPAN style="WHITE-SPACE: normal">Do something for somebody every day for which you do not get paid. –Albert Schweitzer</SPAN></FONT></PRE></DIV></DIV></SPAN><SPAN>
<DIV><BR>On Mar 4, 2016, at 2:29 PM, Tom White <<A
href="mailto:thomas.henry.white@gmail.com"
target=_blank>thomas.henry.white@gmail.com</A>> wrote:<BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr>
<DIV>
<DIV>Dear List:<BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV>I am wondering what the best practice is for original wills. How
many do you ordinarily make and where are they kept? <BR><BR>Do you
only make one, and if so where do you keep it? Do you recommend the
client keep it or do you deposit it with the court? <BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Regards,<BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV>-- <BR>
<DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr>
<DIV><BR>Tom White<BR></DIV>
<DIV>Attorney-At-Law<BR></DIV>
<DIV>Seattle, Washington<BR></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN>_______________________________________________</SPAN><BR><SPAN>WSBAPT
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target=_blank>http://mailman.fsr.com/mailman/listinfo/wsbapt</A></SPAN></DIV></SPAN></DIV><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>WSBAPT
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target=_blank>http://mailman.fsr.com/mailman/listinfo/wsbapt</A><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><BR
clear=all><BR>-- <BR>
<DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr>
<DIV><BR>Tom White<BR></DIV>
<DIV>Attorney-At-Law<BR></DIV>
<DIV>Seattle,
Washington<BR></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>WSBAPT
mailing list<BR><A
href="mailto:WSBAPT@lists.wsbarppt.com">WSBAPT@lists.wsbarppt.com</A><BR><A
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clear=all>
<DIV> </DIV>-- <BR>
<DIV class=gmail_signature>
<DIV dir=ltr>
<DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr>
<DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr>Teunis J. Wyers @ Wyers|Wyers, Attorneys
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">Oregon Office:</SPAN>
<DIV> 216 Columbia St. - P.O. Box 917</DIV>
<DIV> Hood River, OR 97031</DIV>
<DIV> (541)386-2210/610-1520 (fax)</DIV>
<DIV>Washington Office:<BR>
<DIV> 218 E. Steuben St. - P. O. Box 421</DIV>
<DIV> Bingen, WA 98605</DIV>
<DIV> (509) 493-2772/493-2406 (fax)</DIV>
<DIV>Email: <A href="mailto:teunisj@wyerslawpc.com"
target=_blank>teunisj@wyerslawpc.com</A></DIV>
<DIV>Web: <A href="http://www.wyerslawpc.com"
target=_blank>www.wyerslawpc.com</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
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