<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Helvetica;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Verdana;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Webdings;
panose-1:5 3 1 2 1 5 9 6 7 3;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle19
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>We have been sitting at a distance and everyone brings their own pens.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Nestor Gorfinkel, Attorney at Law<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Licensed in Washington & Florida<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'>Florida Civil-Law (International) Notary<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:black'>ATTENTION - This e-mail message and any attachment to this e-mail message may contain confidential information that is legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not review, retransmit, convert to hard copy, copy, use or disseminate this e-mail or any attachments to it. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify us immediately by return e-mail or by telephone at the phone numbers provided herein and delete this message. Please note that if this e-mail message contains a forwarded message or is a reply to a prior message, some or all of the contents of this message or any attachments may not have been produced by the sender.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:24.0pt;font-family:Webdings;color:#009900'>P</span></b><b><span style='font-size:24.0pt;color:#009900'> </span></b><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#009900'>Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Roger Hawkes<br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, March 19, 2020 3:52 PM<br><b>To:</b> WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [WSBAPT] Witnessing by Web-Cam - COVID-19<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>David: think it through and do the best you can under the circumstances. Almost certainly the legislature intended ‘presence’ to be physically in proximity and sight of each other. But if no one challenges the remote witnessing, will a court disapprove it? If someone does challenge it and the witnesses are available to testify live at that time, will it matter? If witnesses are not available then, will a judge throw out a will that was done with all the formality available at the time? Maybe. But what else is the testator gonna do?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Roger Hawkes, WSBA # 5173<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Hawkes Law Firm, P.S. and Sky Valley Lawyers, PLLC<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Office: 19944 Ballinger Way NE<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'> Shoreline, WA 98155<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'> And<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'> 423 Main, Sultan, WA 98294<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'> Voice: 206 367 5000<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'> Fax: 206 367 4005<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'> <a href="http://www.hawkeslawfirm.com">www.hawkeslawfirm.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> <a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a> <<a href="mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>> <b>On Behalf Of </b>David Faber<br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, March 19, 2020 11:06 AM<br><b>To:</b> WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <<a href="mailto:wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> [WSBAPT] Witnessing by Web-Cam - COVID-19<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I'm going to try this again, because my email from Monday seemed to have everyone thinking that I was asking about electronic notarization. <b><u>This email has nothing to do with the electronic notarization law coming into effect on 1 October 2020</u></b>.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Given COVID-19 and the emergency measures in place, I'm having a lot of clients full-up with anxiety wanting to make sure their documents are in order, and with good reason. Toward the end, and to try to maintain social distancing, I'm trying to explore creative means of witnessing:<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>(1) Is any reason to think that witnessing a signature by web-camera sufficiently constitutes being "in the presence of the principal" for purposes of a POA (please note that RCW 11.125.050(1) allows a POA to be <u>either</u><i> </i>notarized <u>or</u> witnessed by two witnesses, and I'm speaking to the latter). <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>(2) Also, is there any reason to think that witnessing a signature by a Testator on a Will be sufficient for signing a self-proving affidavit? <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>All of the materials I have suggest that this issue has never been addressed by our legislature and has never been tested in the court (or no test has ever gone far enough to receive a published opinion), but I'm sure it's of a lot of interest to people right now. Any thoughts?<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><br clear=all><o:p></o:p></p><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Best,<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>David J. Faber<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Faber Feinson PLLC<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>210 Polk Street, Suite 1<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Port Townsend, WA 98368<br>(360) 379-4110<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>*** NOTICE: ATTORNEY CLIENT COMMUNICATION - PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL. This communication may contain privileged or other confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, or believe that you have received this communication in error, please do not print, copy, retransmit, disseminate, or otherwise use the information. Also, please indicate to the sender that you have received this communication in error, and destroy the copy you received.***</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>