Scroll for more

down-arrow-icon
practice direction will witness wills estate planning coronavirus covid19 solicitor lawyer sunshine coast queensland brisbane

Important: Practice Direction issued by the Supreme Court for certain Wills during COVID-19

There is no doubt that in the wake of COVID-19 many people are taking the opportunity to get their affairs in order.

We have seen a dramatic increase in the number of people wanting to prepare a Will as quickly as possible.

If you require information or guidance in relation to the preparation of your Will, please do not hesitate to contact us, even if it is for an informal chat.

As a general rule, where a Will has not been signed in the presence of two witnesses, it is necessary to make an application to the Supreme Court, which is heard by a judge, to determine the validity of the Will.

On Wednesday 22 April 2020, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland issued Practice Direction 10 which allows the Supreme Court registrar (rather than a judge) to hear an application in relation to a Will that is not signed in the presence of two witnesses.

However, it is important to note the following aspects of the Practice Direction:

  1. The Practice Direction will be in place for Wills executed between 1 March 2020 and 30 September 2020.
  1. The Practice Direction should only be relied upon where the reason the Will could not be signed in the presence of two witnesses is because of either government enforced or recommended, or self-imposed, isolation or quarantine from the COVID-19 pandemic.
  1. The following evidence must be produced with the application:
  • The Will was drafted by a solicitor, or a solicitor is one of the witnesses to the Will, or the person supervising the execution of the Will.
  • The deceased Will-maker intended the document to take immediate effect as their Will.
  • The deceased Will-maker signed the document:
  1. in the presence of two witnesses being via video conference (but not physically); OR
  2. in the presence of one witness being via video conference (but not physically).
  • The witness or witnesses were able to identify the document executed.

Therefore, if you are in circumstances where you are in quarantine, or unable to leave your home or have two visitors over to witness your Will, you are still able to make a Will.

However, to ensure your executor is equipped to prove with Will without having to incur the cost of making an application to the Court to be heard by a judge, it is important the Will is prepared properly, and the above requirements can be satisfied.

If the above requirements cannot be satisfied, the Will will not able to be considered by the Supreme Court registrar and will be referred to a judge. 

If you have any questions in relation to this blog, or if you are in circumstances where you require a Will and you are in quarantine or unable to leave your home or have visitors, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Share to your network

The information provided in this article is for general information and educative purposes in summary form on legal topics which is current at the time it is published. The content does not constitute legal advice or recommendations and should not be relied upon as such. Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of this article, Wills, Estates and Probate Lawyers (WEP Lawyers) cannot accept responsibility for any errors, including those caused by negligence, in the material. We make no representations, statements or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of the information and you should not rely on it. You are advised to make your own independent inquiries regarding the accuracy of any information provided on this website. WEP Lawyers does not guarantee, and accepts no legal responsibility whatsoever arising from or in connection to the accuracy, reliability, currency, correctness or completeness of any material contained in this article. Links to third party websites or articles does not constitute any endorsement or approval of those sites or the owners of those sites. Nothing in this article should be construed as granting any licence or right for you to use that content. You should consult the third party’s terms and conditions of use in relation to any third-party content. WEP Lawyers disclaims all responsibility and all liability (including liability for negligence) for all expenses, losses, damages and costs you might incur as a result of the information being inaccurate or incomplete in any way. Appropriate legal advice should always be obtained in actual situations.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter to get updates on everything Wills, Estates and Probate.

Written by—

Chloe Kopilovic

Call 07 3035 4077 to speak with our team now