Governor Brian Kemp Signs Executive Order Allowing Remote Execution of Estate Planning Documents

On March 9, 2020, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed an Executive Order which allows Attorneys and their supervised staff to remotely witness and notarize estate planning documents, including trust, wills, and powers of attorney.  In order to conduct remote signing, the following requirements must be met:  

• ​The notary public must use real-time audio visual conference or any electronic video conferencing that allows communication via sight and sound;
• The notary public is a licensed Georgia attorney or is acting under the supervision of a Georgia attorney;
• The signer must show the Notary Public satisfactory evidence of identity, e.g. Georgia Driver's License, while connected on the real-time audio-visual meeting; and,
• The notary public must be located in the State of Georgia when witnessing the signing; and,
• The part(ies) signing the estate planning documents must send the documents to the notary public on the date the documents were executed.  

Walters Law is equipped to conduct remote estate planning during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Please contact us for your estate planning needs.