After practicing law for 20 years, our founder was frustrated with all the family disputes, real estate title problems, and various medical decisions that could have been easily solved, if there was an easier way to locate people’s documents. 

Creating estate planning documents is a very personal and private matter.  First, individuals make difficult decisions about who will take care of them and their assets, if they become ill or incapacitated.  Then they make difficult decisions about how those assets will be divided and disbursed upon their death.  The typical documents that may be included in an individual’s estate plan would be a Durable Power of Attorney, Health Care Proxy, Last Will and Testament, and/or Trust.  Estate planning attorneys can attest that one of the first things a client asks after completing their estate planning is: "How will anyone know where to find my documents?"

It is an excellent question.  Some people leave their estate planning documents at their attorney’s office for safekeeping.  However, what if the beneficiaries don’t know who drafted the documents, or if the attorney retires or passes away prior to their client?  Some people keep their documents at home in a “safe place”, but often the documents get lost or destroyed, which leaves them with no estate planning documents at all.  And worst of all, some people give their estate planning documents to their beneficiaries for “safe keeping”, which can cause undue tension or undue influence by one beneficiary who appears to have more ‘control’ and responsibility over his/her parent than the siblings.  A solution was desperately needed.

Registry of Wills and Trusts was created to provide an online search engine for estate planning attorneys, probate attorneys, State personnel, health care providers, and individuals to reduce the risk of estate planning documents being misplaced, lost, or erroneously probated at the detriment of a decedent’s wishes and desires.  

We hope we can do our part in resolving these problems and bring a peace of mind to individuals and families across the country.