<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=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@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:"Arial Narrow";
panose-1:2 11 6 6 2 2 2 3 2 4;}
/* 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.EmailStyle22
{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>Thank you, Sara. I like the gloves idea. I’ll do that, if I decide I can do a will signing at all!!! Sounds like you will do will signing under the March 23 restrictions under an argument that estate planning is an essential service as part of the operation of the Courts because even though the will is not filed in the court immediately, it very likely will be in the future and is, therefore, a court function.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Susan<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Susan Donahue<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Law Office of Susan Donahue<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>125 West 2<sup>nd</sup> Avenue, Suite “B”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>P.O. Box 81<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Twisp, WA 98856<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(509) 996-5944 (phone)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(509) 362-9692 (fax)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:sdonahue@sdonahuelaw.com"><span style='color:#0563C1'>sdonahue@sdonahuelaw.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.sdonahuelaw.com"><span style='color:#0563C1'>www.sdonahuelaw.com</span></a><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>Sara D. Longley<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, March 27, 2020 12:40 PM<br><b>To:</b> 'WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv' <wsbapt@lists.wsbarppt.com><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [WSBAPT] attorneys are officers of the court--therefore essential<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Susan,<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'>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. <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'>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.<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'>My office has not done a will signing since last week, so I would be interested in any additional precautions others are taking.<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'>Best,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Sara Longley<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Sara D. Longley<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Ivy Law Group, PLLC<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>1734 NW Market Street<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Phone: (206) 706-2909<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Fax: (206) 834-6044<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:sara@ivylawgroup.com"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>sara@ivylawgroup.com</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Pronouns: she, her, hers<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:1.0pt;font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:1.0pt;font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:#76923C'><img border=0 width=122 height=107 style='width:1.2708in;height:1.1145in' id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D60437.5E9231C0" alt="cid:image001.jpg@01CF48D6.0249B5A0"></span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><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">mailto:wsbapt-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Susan Donahue<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, March 27, 2020 12:09 PM<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] attorneys are officers of the court--therefore essential<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hello everyone,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I know this has been discussed but in previous threads the issue of notarizing was the issue—not the issue of witnessing a will.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Any thoughts would be helpful.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thank you.<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><p class=MsoNormal>Susan Donahue<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Law Office of Susan Donahue<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>125 West 2<sup>nd</sup> Avenue, Suite “B”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>P.O. Box 81<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Twisp, WA 98856<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(509) 996-5944 (phone)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(509) 362-9692 (fax)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:sdonahue@sdonahuelaw.com">sdonahue@sdonahuelaw.com</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.sdonahuelaw.com">www.sdonahuelaw.com</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>