The witnessing of important legal documents such as estate planning documentation over video conference is set to continue under new legislation to be introduced into NSW Parliament.
The new legislation seeks to continue arrangements introduced in April 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce non-essential personal contact and enable vulnerable persons to continue to have these important legal documents prepared without posing unnecessary health risks.
Under legislation passed in April 2020, arrangements enabling remote witnessing were set to end in late September 2020. The proposed legislation will extend remote witnessing arrangements until the end of 2021, which will allow sufficient time for assessment as to whether the arrangements will be enacted long term.
The arrangements enable estate planning documents such as wills, enduring guardianships, powers of attorney and statutory declarations to be signed and witnessed in real time over an auto-visual link, which includes by way of popular video conferencing software such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Skype.
It is now easier than ever to get your estate plan ticked off your ‘to do’ list as everything can be done by way of video conference from the comfort and safety of your own home. We make the estate planning process easy by offering fixed fee and flexible consultations.
Contact us today to find out how we can help you with your estate plan.
Please note that the above is applicable to NSW only. Should you require information specific to your state or territory, please contact us.