A YORK law firm says clients have been 'desperate' to put key personal affairs in order since the Covid-19 crisis struck.

Pavilion Row, in Fulford, has continued operating throughout the lockdown, to provide Wills, Power of Attorney and Estate administration (probate) services.

Angus Houston, founder and managing director of Pavilion Row, said their main aim had been to deliver the same high level of service while ensuring the infrastructure was in place for the whole team to continue

He said The Press Supporting Local Businesses campaign was "vital in helping us communicate to our clients we are still open and able to help them".

The campaign offers free adverts to family-run and independent businesses to spread the word about how they have adapted their work to still operate.

"This is a very worrying time for a number of people, and we have spoken many clients who are desperate to get their key protection documents, i.e Wills and Powers of Attorney, in place," said Angus.

"For anyone that is frontline NHS or are deemed otherwise vulnerable, we are offering a priority status to deal with their matter as “urgent” which means turning round the documents quickly."

He said they had put together guidance about signing Wills, with the current social distancing measures. "Where the signing has caused particular problems, we have set up a desk by the door of the office so the client does not come in and all witnesses can maintain a 2m distance. We have also witnessed documents for clients at their home by watching through a window. It still remains a challenging time and, as with all businesses, will we need to continue to adapt."

He added: "Whilst as a firm, we have always invested in technology to allow staff to work from home – with the prolonged remote working we have had to make further investment into cloud-based printing and advanced scanning.

"We had been looking to grow the team further but have had to put all recruitment on hold as not only is it very difficult to recruit with such uncertainty, it also makes it very difficult to bring a new members of staff onboard when all the team are remote."

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