By Christa W.
Planning for the end of life might be the easiest thing in the world to put off, yet, as Chanel Reynolds, author of What Matters Most says, “hoping for the best is not a plan.” Sno-Isle Libraries resources make it easy to get started, and getting this planning done may be the best gift you can leave for others.
Here are a few ways to get started with wills and estates:
- Search the Sno-Isle Libraries print collection in the Online Catalog and order relevant titles to your local library:
- Legal Information Source – Wills and Estate Planning
- Legal Forms (specific to Washington State) – Wills & Estates
Legal Information Source
Legal Information Source contains more than 310 full-text publications and thousands of legal forms. Many of the full-text legal reference books are provided through Nolo, a provider of legal information for consumers and small businesses.
This database offers the everyday user the necessary tools and detailed “how-to” instructions to independently address a wide-range of legal issues including business law, financial planning, family law, property & real estate, and rights & disputes.
Access Legal Information Source at home with your library card or in the library. Under “Explore topics”, click on “Wills and Estate Planning”. Each subheading under Estate Planning, Executors & Probate, Getting Your Affairs in Order, Living Trusts, and Wills & Powers of Attorney links to 24/7 full access to a current eBook for the topic you need.
For more tips on how to use the database, visit the Legal Information Source Quick Start Guide.
Legal Forms
Twenty-nine form templates for a variety of last wills and testaments are available from the Washington Legal Forms Library in MS Word or Rich Text (English and Spanish languages) for specific estate situations.
For more tips on how to use the Legal Forms library, view their Frequently Asked Questions or Search Help suggestions.
Community Resources
WA Law Help: Planning Ahead / Seniors - Provides legal education materials and tools that give you basic information on several legal issues for elders, including Power of Attorney and Planning for Death. This website is maintained by staff at the Northwest Justice Project (NJP).
Snohomish County Legal Services: Wills for Seniors - A Wills Clinic for Seniors is offered quarterly to low-income seniors (age 60+) residents of Snohomish County. Staff and volunteer attorneys will work with seniors to prepare documents including Simple Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Health Care Directives. During the clinic, a Notary Public will be on hand for the formal signing of documents so that the clients leave with completed and fully executed documents.
You can find Washington's laws about making wills here: Revised Code of Washington Title 11 Probate and Trust Law Chapter 11.12 Wills.
Once your documents are complete, most local credit unions and banks provide free notary services for their members (call ahead). A “self-proving” or notarized will can speed up probate because a court can accept the will without contacting the witnesses who signed it.
Finally, the Snohomish County Clerk’s Office offers a will repository service which allows for the filing of an original will with the court, under seal, before your death.
Further Reading
Wills & Trusts Kit for Dummies
Nolo's Guide to Estate Planning
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