Thousands of family wills made over Zoom during lockdown are ‘not legal’ because they were witnessed over video call
- Whitehall sources say that wills drawn up in lockdown have no legal force
- This is because many wills were discussed in solicitors meetings on Zoom
- Wills drawn up and witnessed over video calls cannot be legally recognised
Thousands of family wills drawn up during the lockdown have no legal force because they were witnessed over video call, Whitehall sources revealed.
The lockdown led to a boom in solicitors’ appointments held on platforms such as Zoom.
Government sources said that family wills drawn up during the lockdown period have no legal force as they were held over video call
But Ministry of Justice (MoJ) officials have now ruled that wills witnessed remotely cannot be legally recognised because the witnesses have to be physically present with a ‘clear line of sight’.
To avert the chaos of endless legal challenges, the MoJ is planning to bring in a law in September which will retrospectively legalise all ‘video wills’ since January 31.
Many appointments discussing wills were held by solicitors during Zoom meetings in lockdown