It’s commonly known that making a will allows you to be prepared for any unfortunate emergencies. However, making a will doesn’t mean asking your estate law attorney to prepare a draft; you need to take other steps to prove your will in the probate court. One of the best ways to do that is by notarizing your will.
Here’s why notarizing a will is crucial and how you can do it.
Importance of Notarizing a Will
The most significant benefit of notarizing your will is that your beneficiaries won’t have to spend thousands of dollars proving your will in court. The notarizing process provides a way for the will to be proved when the writer signs it.
The person creating a will should take an oath before a notary during the will signing. In addition, the witnesses to the will should do the same. However, if a witness isn’t available, the attorney can act as the witness. If this happens, the will gets self-proved, and the court won’t ask for witness testimony later—doesn’t that make the whole process easier?
What Do You Need for Notarizing a Will?
A notary is a public, state-authorized individual who can notarize a will. For notarization, you need to find a notary public. You can search for a notary near you and see their notarization certificates before hiring them for their services.
You can also find a notary through law firms, courthouses, and town or county clerk’s offices. In addition, you also need a complete will, the presence of your attorney, and two witnesses to notarize a will. However, if you can’t find a witness, your attorney can act as one of the witnesses.
When and How Should You Notarize a Will?
Once you’re done with your will and don’t want to make any changes, it’s time to notarize your will. For notarizing a will, you need to sign it in the presence of your attorney, the witnesses, and the notary. However, the notary will only overlook the notarization if you’re of sound mind and understand the will’s contents. Moreover, you should also show your proof of identification to the notary beforehand.
Notarizing will save your beneficiaries’ time, effort, and money. At Ledwidge and Associates, our Estate lawyer Brooklyn will guide you throughout the notarizing procedure. Through our estate planning in Queens, you’ll know when and how to notarize your will.
Get in touch to book an appointment with a highly-experienced estate lawyer.
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