Attorneys see surge of requests for wills as coronavirus takes its toll across the U.S., but distancing rules make it a challenge.
Prasad Nalluri is a healthy husband, doting father and global businessman, and he’s been so busy planning for life that he hasn't put much thought into death. As the coronavirus began spreading across the country, then made its way to his hometown of Austin, Texas, the 49-year-old worried how his family would cope if he contracted the virus and died. Or worse, if both he and his wife fell victim to the pandemic.
The situation is especially true among first responders and medical workers. These frontline workers fear on-the-job contact will kill them and leave grieving family members with no clear instruction about what should happen to their children and finances. Story continuesThey were walking their dog, Gri, and Ross explained his wishes if he were to get sick and be on a ventilator.
“Our clients are naturally concerned about their loved ones, and when they are faced with a situation like this, they want to make sure their families are cared for,” said Austin, Texas, estate planning attorney Glenn Karisch. “They don’t necessarily think they are going to die, but they do want to make things easier on their family members.”
Challenges plague the processGetting a will drafted in the middle of a global pandemic brings challenges. For one thing, such attorneys are now in high demand, meaning it could take days or weeks to find one with an opening. Travis County, Texas, Probate Judge Guy Herman said he began hearing from worried attorneys two weeks ago, days before local officials in Austin issued stay-at-home orders.
But unlike many legal records that can be signed electronically, wills require an in-person signature with two witnesses. Attorneys are finding new ways to complete the transaction, Herman said, including what he called a “drive through” service at a law firm in which an attorney and an assistant, both wearing latex gloves, watch clients sign wills in their cars while they stand in the parking lot to maintain social distance.
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