The world as we know it is not canceled. It is just evolving.
During this time of uncertainty (and relative panic), we are still open for business, but it is not business as usual. We are taking measures to ensure that the safety of our staff and clients are at the forefront of our daily activities. Here are some things we are doing to try and keep everyone safe:
- Encourage remote work whenever possible
- Conduct client meetings by telephone or video-conference
- Limit in person office meetings to essential meetings only
- Sanitize facilities daily, and especially before and after people arrive
But even with limiting interactions, it is still essential that we meet with our clients in person to have their estate planning documents witnessed and notarized. Here is what we are doing to ensure safety:
Initial Estate Planning procedures
- We will send a data questionnaire to new clients prior to our first meeting, virtual or in person
- Conduct a telephone or video conference to go over the questionnaire
- Email draft documents to the client (Whenever possible, we will use our secure client Portal)
- Have a telephone or video conference prior to the execution to go over any and all questions
- Screen the client and staff for any COVID-19 symptoms the day before the meeting. If there are any signs of symptoms with the staff or client then the meeting will be rescheduled to a later date
- Conduct the signing and notarization outdoors when possible
- Use one-use pens
- Maintain a distance of at least 6 feet between witnesses and clients
- Keep the meeting brief and fun
Hopefully, this will be over soon and we can all go back to our normal lives but in the meantime, we will make these changes so we can continue to serve you.
We are confident that this difficult time will one day come to an end. We are forced to practice new safety measures as we plan for the uncertainty. But as wise man once said: “There is nothing certain in this world but death and choices”. So we are here to help with the former, because at some point, we will need to have planned for it.