With Phase II Reopening firmly underway in Deschutes County, we have ironed out best practices, implemented new procedures, and physically reconfigured our office space in order to fully assist our clients with their estate planning needs while also safeguarding health. Based on guidance issued by local, state, and federal authorities to curtail the spread of COVID-19, we continue to primarily work remotely and conduct most meetings via phone or video conferencing.
However, now under Oregon’s Phase II guidance we are able to carry out signings in person as well by employing a carefully designed two-step approach that both safeguards client and staff safety as well as ensures the legal efficacy of the documents:
- Once we’ve come to the point in the process where everyone is ready to sign, we first hold a pre-signing video conference the day before the actual signing in which we review all the final versions of the documents, next steps, and any questions the client may have—doing so enables us to keep the in-person meeting the next day as short as possible and limited solely to the requisite formalities for signing itself, thereby minimizing potential exposure.
- We then meet the next day in person with all the documents laid out and ready to sign with plexiglass barriers, air filters, and new sanitized pens all in place. James guides the client through executing the trust, the will, and the rest of the documents and ensures that all the formalities have been faithfully carried out, all while keeping the in-person portion of the signing as brief as possible.
Utilizing this two-step signing procedure in concert with our other COVID-19 precautions enables us to continue to provide our clients with the high quality estate planning service they have come to expect while also safeguarding health.
Please feel free to contact us for additional details or with any questions or concerns you may have.