Digital wills: bringing the industry into the 2020s

We can manage our banking, tax affairs, medical records and commercial contracts securely online, yet a valid Will still depends upon wet-ink signatures and two witnesses being physically present.

That position is increasingly difficult to defend.

Properly authenticated digital Wills, supported by identity verification, secure storage, time-stamped audit trails and safeguards against fraud and undue influence, could make estate planning more accessible while reducing the risk of Wills being lost, overlooked or left hopelessly out of date.

My view is straightforward: this reform needs to happen if the Will-writing and estate-planning industry is to be brought into the 2020s.

Modernisation must not mean weaker standards. It should mean combining better technology with proper training, robust record-keeping, professional oversight and meaningful consumer protection.

The law should protect people from risk, not protect paper simply because it is familiar.

#DigitalWills #EstatePlanning #LegalTechnology #WillWriting #iTrust121

James Berkeley

Senior Counsel

iTrust121 Ltd