COVID-19: Ways of witnessing wills in lockdown

Well what a couple of weeks it has been! Here at Spratt Endicott the majority of our team have settled in to working from home and business is continuing as usual. For the handful of us skeleton staff still attending the office, to ensure the smooth running of the business, it has been interesting to say the least! We are very lucky to have the space to self isolate in the office and are very thankful to be open and busy.

As a newly qualified solicitor in the Private Capital department I was not expecting to have to come up with new creative ways to witness signatures and take client appointments while social distancing but I am learning new ways to get the job done everyday. From telephone appointments to video calls and the invention of our new ‘Drive Thru’ will witnessing service that our department has created, which even saw a tandem bike using our services, I can honestly say there has not been a dull moment.

Some of our clients do not feel comfortable asking or cannot ask their neighbours to witness their will so members of our team have also been on home visits. This involves us standing outside a window to witness the client signature taking place inside – al fresco working at its finest!

As a business we are continuing to deliver the high standards of service we pride ourselves on as we continue to adjust and adapt to this new way of working. We understand that many of our existing clients and potential new clients may feel a degree of uncertainty during this time but our doors are open (not literally) as usual so please give us a call and we will help in any way we can.

One thing is for certain, I will never forget what was happening in the rest of the world when I qualified! Stay tuned for further updates on what other modes of transport we see through the Drive Thru in coming weeks………a horse perhaps?

Victoria Upton is a Private Client Solicitor at Spratt Endicott Solicitors, to contact Victoria please email vupton@se-solicitors.co.uk.