2020 A Year To Forget - Or Was It?

Will Solicitors Newcastle and Sunderland

Well, this is a year we will never forget. But I wanted to reflect upon some positive things that happened.

Many people, me included, wrote their wills. Can you imagine, here I am a solicitor who specialises in Will Writing, and it took me twenty years to update my will and that of my husband! Really, no excuse. Except that every time I tried to plan our estates it just became so complicated because I was over-thinking things. So each time I just gave up. Whenever we went on holiday abroad I would panic and think what if anything happens to us. I still didn’t make my will.

But I’ve got to say that as soon as the enormity of the pandemic hit us all I drafted our wills in less than an hour. A huge, huge sense of relief. I now understand what clients mean when they have completed their wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney with us. They often say that its a huge weight off their mind. It’s certainly one less thing for me to worry about.

Another positive has been that we are now able to be much more flexible as a firm. We always did offer home, care home and hospital visits for our clients. However, we had to rethink things. So now we offer telephone, Facebook and Zoom appointments. We work with what suits you and us. This means that you can be dealt with by staff from either of our offices. Thus we can offer you faster appointments. We have set up systems whereby you can prove your identity without having to attend our office.

We have also established a system to assist you with the signing of your documents - a drive-through will signing service!. This is available by appointment at either our Newcastle or Sunderland offices. Both signing stations can be accessed with ease by car. We do ask that you bring your own pen to the appointment, although we will have sanitiser to hand if required. Two of our staff will quickly and safely witness your documents for you and you will be on your way before you know it.

Compassion

As a probate solicitor I often have to deal with obtaining death certificates, registering deaths, and arranging funerals. I see it as being a very important part of my job to arrange a decent funeral for my clients. Some of them have no close relatives. As you can imagine if I am dealing with everything then my clients were somewhat isolated. But compassion is what I have witnessed over the last few months. The registrars of births deaths and marriages have had to find new ways of working. I now deal with them by telephone, and they are kind and helpful people. Local, independent, funeral directors I have dealt with have gone above and beyond. In one case they managed to find me a vicar who would travel down to Tynemouth to conduct a service so that my clients funeral could take place much sooner.

They sourced flowers for me, which was a real problem at one stage and they even drove past my client’s old care home so that her friends could pay their respects. I have also worked with our very supportive Clear and Clean Team to sort out documents such as funeral plans and house insurance on an urgent basis.

But can I ask you to show compassion? There are some very lonely people out there. I sobbed when one lady contacted me. She had been looking after her husband as he had dementia. He had to go into hospital and contracted covid and died. She said she hadn’t seen anyone but him for months, she couldn’t stop crying, she had no one to turn to. Another lady, aged 93 rang us recently, wanting to make sure we had her new address as we are holding her will. She said she hadn’t spoken to anyone but us since March!

When was the last time you checked on your neighbours?

If you are a churchgoer or a vicar, have you noted those people who haven’t been coming to church, have you checked upon them, a phone call perhaps.

I would also like to bring to your attention the good works that have taken place in our community. Feeding Families is a new charity set up to help people at Christmas by way of provision of food hampers. During Covid they have delivered the equivalent of 60,000 meals across the North East, both to individuals and also in partnership with schools, domestic violence refuges, to the elderly and sick.

They are currently supplying 5 hospitals with “Welcome Home” boxes - these are for vulnerable and often elderly patients who are being discharged home and may not have food to go back to. If you feel that you could help by donating food items then this can be dropped off at either of our offices.

Finally I’d like to let you know that we have won Small Law Firm of the year at the Law Society Excellence Awards. These are national awards and I’m proud that we have put the North East on the national map. I hope we all have a better year next year and in the meantime I wish you well.

Will Solicitors Newcastle:  0191 284 6989

Will Solicitors Sunderland: 0191 567 6667

Email us: enquiries@emmersons-solicitors.co.uk

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Our Gosforth office is located at 137A Back High Street NE3 4ET - call in and see us at any time. We have wheelchair access, you can be dropped off at our front door, and there is free parking on the adjoining streets.

You can also park opposite our Sunderland Office on John Street.