Our office has assembled and is regularly updating a list of important local, state, and federal resources to help our clients and the community during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic. Click here to visit the Coronavirus Resource Center.
As an essential business under the North Carolina Stay-At-Home Order, we are open and fully operational. We are currently completing 98% of our work virtually via online meetings and telephone conferences. However, in North Carolina, most estate planning documents must be signed in the physical presence of a notary public (and some also require the physical presence of two disinterested witnesses). As such, we're offering the following options for document signings:
(2) "Drive-Thru" Curbside Signings at Our Office
(3) "Driveway" Signings At Your Home
In-Office Signings:
- Our team is well spread out in our office and we've been regularly hand-washing and disinfecting
- Your documents will be sent to our printer
- The person assembling your documents will wear latex gloves when handling your documents
- To the extent possible, signatures for you and the witnesses and notary will be on separate pages
- When you arrive, you'll be escorted directly to our Learning Center which is right off of our entrance
- You'll be seated at a table that has been disinfected
- You can bring your own pen or we can provide you with a pen that has been disinfected
- The person handing you your documents for signature will wear latex gloves
- Our witnesses and notary will be seated at separate tables from you that are at least 6-feet away
- Our team members will wear gloves while handling your documents
- You'll sign on your signature pages
- The witnesses and notary will sign their pages where indicated
- While you wait we will scan your signed documents to our file.
- We'll place your documents in a sealed poly envelope or similar and disinfect it before handing it to you.
"Drive-Thru" Curbside Signings:
- Our team is well spread out in our office and we've been regularly hand-washing and disinfecting
- Your documents will be sent to our printer
- The person assembling your documents will wear latex gloves when handling your documents
- To the extent possible, signatures for you and the witnesses and notary will be on separate pages
- When you arrive, you'll stay in your car and we'll come to you
- You can bring your own pen or we can provide you with a pen that has been disinfected
- The person handing you your documents for signature will wear latex gloves
- You'll sign on your signature pages
- The witnesses and notary will sign their pages where indicated
- While you wait we will scan your signed documents to our file.
- We'll place your documents in a sealed poly envelope or similar and disinfect it before handing it to you.
"Driveway" Signings:
On a limited basis for those that are immuno-compromised and unable to leave their homes, our "Mobile Response Unit" will come to your home for a "Driveway Signing". All scheduling is at CFEP's discretion so we can come up with an efficient plan and not be asking our team to drive back and forth all over town. Here's how it will work:
- Prior to leaving our office:
- Your documents will be sent to our printer
- The person assembling your documents will wear latex gloves when handling your documents
- Your documents will be placed in a poly envelope
- Your signature pages will be clipped to a clipboard which has been disinfected
- The clipboard with pages will also be placed in the poly envelope
- When we arrive at your home:
- We'll place the clipboard with signature pages at your door, ring your doorbell, and then step back at least 6-feet
- You can either use your own pen or we can provide a sanitized pen
- Once you are done signing, you'll place the clipboard back on the floor
- Our witnesses and notary will sign their respective pages
- A member of our team will retrieve the clipboard and assemble all signed documents
- Your fully signed documents will be placed in a poly envelope or similar so it can be disinfected
NOTE: If you opt to use this option, we will not be able to scan copies of your signed documents to our file. Thus, we strongly encourage you to make use of the Drive-Thru Curbside signing option outlined above if you are available to as it permits us to make a copy of your signed documents for your file as a backup.
Documents By Mail
Not local to our office? No problem! We'll conduct all of our meetings via online meeting or telephone conference and then mail your documents to you with clear signings instructions. We can even jump on a video conference to observe the signing and make sure everything gets signed correctly.
If you opt for this option, you'll be responsible for arranging for your own notary public and (if needed) two witnesses that are 18 years of age or older and unrelated to you or any of your beneficiaries. Most UPS stores and similar remain open and have notary publics available. It's also likely that someone in your neighborhood is a notary public and may be able to assist you.
General Office Safety Precautions:
We will continue to conduct in-person signing meetings for as long as safely possible. In order to do so, we have enacted the following safety measures:
- First and foremost, for the sake of our team and our other clients—some of whom are vulnerable to this disease—please do NOT visit our office if (1) you have reason to believe that you may have been exposed to COVID-19 or (2) if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms: dry cough, sore throat, high fever, or shortness of breath.
- We are continuing to regularly and frequently disinfect our office, including all common areas, restrooms, and conference rooms. All employees are washing their hands upon arrival at the office and regularly throughout the day. We also have hand sanitizer stationed throughout the office.
- Our conference rooms are being disinfected between each meeting and we have implemented a labeling system to clearly communicate whether a room has been disinfected.
- We will be conducting our signing meetings in our larger seminar room. This will give us lots of room to spread everyone out with each person seated at their own table.
- We have removed pen cups from the conference rooms. All pens have been sanitized. Each person will be provided their own pen for the signing meeting and will be asked to keep the pen at the conclusion of the meeting.
- We are limiting the refreshments being served to reduce contact and interaction.
- We’re reviewing our calendar and making adjustments as needed to continue to reduce the number of visitors to our office at the same time.
- Several of our team members are working from home full-time or part-time
