The old saying, “extraordinary times calls for extraordinary measures” comes to mind when considering changes currently happening in the Berks County Court of Common Pleas and, more specifically, in the Office of the Register of Wills of Berks County.
As you may know, the Office of the Register of Wills is the office where decedent’s estates are probated upon their passing. Up until the COVID-19 pandemic, the process of probating an estate had not changed in many years and required the person wishing to probate an estate to physically present to the Register of Wills, very often accompanied by their attorney, to complete the formal probate process,
The limitations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting “Stay-at-Home” Orders issued by Governor Tom Wolf over the past few weeks have necessitated that the Courts reevaluate how they have been doing business and to adapt to the current circumstances.
I am happy to say that the Berks County Register of Wills has been at the forefront of protecting the residents of Berks County while, at the same time, reinventing its processes to allow for family members and others to move forward with the administration of a decedent’s estate. This is incredibly important as grieving family members often have a strong desire to move forward with an estate to obtain closure in the grieving process and also with regard to completing the wealth transfer that often times takes place as part of the estate administration process. Such wealth transfer is even more relevant and important in these turbulent times considering the negative economic news that seems to hit the news on a daily basis as a result of the pandemic.
In an unprecedented move, the Berks County Register of Wills has, for the first time ever, set in motion a procedure whereby estates can now officially be virtually probated. At least during the pendency of the current pandemic, estates can be probated through the new process via video teleconferencing. No longer is it required that a representative of the Register of Wills, the person petitioning for probate or their attorney be present in the same room. Everyone can participate from their own computers or even via their cell phones using FaceTime.
The process for conducting a virtual probate is detailed on the Berks County Register of Wills website. If you have questions regarding the process or should desire assistance in probating an estate during these difficult times, please feel free to Kessler Law Offices, L.L.C. at (610) 385-1090 to set up a telephone conference. We look forward to assisting you with your legal needs.
