Confirmation that estate planning documents may now be witnessed remotely … in New York …
While NSW has threatened to do the same in AUS (for a maximum of 6 months); query when (if ever) all states will roll this out.
The specifics of the New York rules (perhaps AUS legislators can copy and paste these?) are as follows:
- The person requesting that their signature be witnessed, if not personally known to a witness, must present valid photo ID to the witness during the video conference, not merely transmit it prior to or after;
- The video conference must allow for direct interaction between the person and each witness and the supervising lawyer, if applicable (e.g. no pre-recorded videos of the person signing);
- The witnesses must receive a legible copy of each signed page, which may be transmitted via fax or electronic means, on the same date that the pages are signed by the person;
- Each witness may sign the transmitted copy of the signed pages and transmit the same back to the person; and
- Each witness may repeat the witnessing of each original signature page as of the date of execution provided the witness receives such original signature pages together with the electronically witnessed copies within thirty days after the date of execution.
** for the trainspotters, a double hit (given the Easter long weekend), firstly Aretha Franklin's tribute to Zoom and 'Who's Zoomin' Who'.
View here: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6qfe8
** the second instalment for the trainspotters, Alicia Keys 'Empire State of Mind' (Part 2).
View here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGwBPy4j8uo