Only worry about what you can control - Are your Wills and Estate Planning arrangements ready for COVID-19?

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is already proving to lead to fundamental changes in how we conduct business and interact with one another. In the context of legal services, people traditionally find comfort and strength during tough times by taking simple steps on matters they can control, such as by reviewing their Estate Planning.

If you are not entirely confident your Estate Planning is in order, and comprises all of the below elements, then you should consider contacting us for a no obligation review.

Do you have:

• An up to date and valid Will;
• An Enduring Power of Attorney including appropriate people you trust;
• An appropriate Advance Care Directive, including, if you choose, guidance on your desires for end of life treatment (or its discontinuance);
• Appropriate binding nominations to ensure your Super if you have it would pass to the right people; and
• A plan in place (informed and guided by professional advice) for any other aspects of your life that may warrant attention, for example planning for the future control of your business if you are very sick for a time, or recording details of the particulars of your affairs to enable your Attorney to more easily manage them on your behalf until you recover, etc.

Estate Planning will be in-demand these next few months – and we are already busy assisting our clients with Estate Planning matters, so we strongly recommend you consider engaging us sooner than later

As we confront the threat of this virus, the wisest amongst us, as well as future-proofing for their day-to-day requirements (such as by accruing a ‘quarantine stockpile’ of essential goods – we trust in a sensible and measured manner that isn’t likely to spread panic), are also taking the next logical step and future-proofing their Estate Planning arrangements for the sake of their loved ones.

Steps we are taking to ensure we can still provide you high quality services

We encourage you to contact us for a no obligation discussion of your Estate Planning arrangements, so you can have peace of mind your affairs are in order.

To ensure we can meet your needs with respect to your Estate Planning we have made the necessary arrangements to ensure we have capacity to meet the increased demand in this area – we have a significant depth of expertise in our firm in relation to Estate Planning with a handful of senior practitioners with many years expertise in this specialty.

In office appointments will be accepted on a case by case basis, and we are able to facilitate initial meetings by telephone or videoconferencing software. We are well equipped to facilitate this, and require only that you indicate at the time of arranging an appointment which technology you prefer to use, and how we can contact you to liaise with you if there is any difficulty establishing a connection.

We stand ready and able to help you, and anyone you know who may need assistance of this nature, to navigate through these issues during this uncertain time.

For more specific information on any of the material contained in this article please contact Nick Muirhead on +61 8 8210 1220 or nmuirhead@normans.com.au or Stefanie Magliani on +61 8 8217 1373 or smagliani@normans.com.au.