Can I write a Will during the coronavirus pandemic?
Here at Coles we appreciate that being on lockdown means you can’t access the services you would normally from day to day.
We also appreciate that with time on your hands, your mind will be focusing on all those tasks that have been on your to-do list for far too long.
Many of our services can still be accessed whilst our offices are closed and here our Wills and Probate team explain how you can still write a Will during these strange few weeks and months.
From 23rd March we closed our offices to clients for the safety and protection of our clients and employees but we are still able to take Will instructions by email or telephone.
From your first contact with us you will be assigned one of our team of Wills & Probate Solicitors. You will be given their email address and where possible, a contact telephone number.
When we receive instructions by email we still need to follow this up with a phone call to go through any Will instructions. This is effectively a ‘digital’ appointment and replaces our usual face to face meeting in one of our offices.
In order to speed up the process it would be useful for you to have the following prepared before our call with you:
- Will wishes
- Executors, names and addresses
- Details of who you wish to pass your estate to
- Whether you wish to write mirror wills
Having all of this information to hand will ensure things run smoothly. If you have the ability to have these written up digitally it will ensure that all of the details of your executors are correct and all spellings are correctly noted.
Once we have taken instructions over the telephone we would then write up a draft Will for you to review. We would strongly suggest that this is sent to you via email to review, again to minimise any external contact we need to have whilst on lockdown. However, if necessary we can post your Will for you to review.
Once received, you can review your Will and let us know of any amendments. You will be asked to confirm the full names and addresses of the beneficiaries and executors if these have not already been provided via email.
We would then ask you to confirm via email or post that you are happy with the draft Will provided and we would send you the original Will for signature by post.
As with any Will you will need to have it witnessed and we will provide full instructions on how to do this. In line with Government guidance on social distancing we ask that you are mindful of who you ask to be a witness. Due to limitations on travel, we would suggest you ask a Neighbour, however we ask you to be heedful of any vulnerable Neighbours or those are self-isolating due to COVID-19 symptoms.
During these challenging times we would suggest signing your Will outdoors and adhering to the 2-metre social distancing advice.
Once the Will is signed we ask you to return it to us via post. We can then thoroughly check your Will to ensure it has been executed correctly and is legally binding. We would then store your Will safely and confidentially and provide you with a copy for your records.
