The Schroeder Law Firm's Response to Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Posted March 18, 2020, by W. Harrison Schroeder, Esq.
The Schroeder Law Firm continues to serve clients during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. In order to protect our staff and our clients, we will handle most legal consultations
over the telephone to allow our clients to discuss their legal needs without having to come to the office.
Estate Planning
We understand that many of our clients are concerned about making or updating their estate plans in these uncertain times. We can do most of the estate planning process over the telephone
and would encourage clients to contact us to set up a telephonic consultation. The signing of estate planning documents, such as Wills, General Powers of Attorney, and Advance Medical
Directives/Health Care Powers of Attorney, require two witnesses and a notary to be present with the person signing the documents, so the signings will need to be conducted in-person.
We will take extra measures to minimize the time clients will need to spend at our office, promote social distancing during signings, and frequently sanitize hard surfaces in our office.
We would encourage clients to plan ahead and consider addressing their estate planning sooner rather than later. At the present time, the coronavirus outbreak does not appear to have spread
to Southwest Virginia yet, so now is the time to get your estate plan in order. We will not be able to assist clients with their in-person signings once they become symptomatic.
Also, our regional hospitals are presently limiting patient visitors to one per patient, which will make hospital signings impossible.
Real Estate
Likewise, real estate closings will need to take place in the presence of a notary. Again, all other pre-closing inquiries and consultations should take place over the telephone or by e-mail.
Incapacity Planning
If a family member or friend is in critical condition, we can advise over the telephone on how to use their medical and financial power of attorney documents to care for them and deal with their
affairs, or we can assist with guardianship and conservatorship proceedings through the courts.
Probate and Trust Administration
If you have lost a family member or friend and need advice on administering their estate or trust, we can advise you over the telephone on the court probate process, dealing with
financial and legal affairs, and trust administration.
Criminal and Civil Court Cases
The Supreme Court of Virginia has issued an Order Declaring a Judicial Emergency in Response to
COVID-19 Emergency (click here to read the Order).
The order suspends most non-essential and non-emergency cases for 21 days, from March 16 through April 6. The Court may extend that further depending on the circumstances.
We will update our clients that have upcoming court dates as more information is available.
We are continuing to monitor a variety of sources for updates and best practices as they become available, and will reevaluate our procedures as the situation develops, but please
do not hesitate to reach out to us by telephone with any concerns about your legal needs during this time.
To schedule a telephonic consultation, please contact our office at 540-745-4435.
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