Write your will today

"Write your will today!" It is the message that David Clarke, attorney-at-law, has been pushing in recent days. He has even gone as far as placing an advertisment in the print media, urging Jamaicans to prepare their last will and testament in light of COVID-19 being on the island.

Clarke told THE WEEKEND STAR that he is completely aware that some Jamaicans may take offence to the timing and circumstance from which the ad became relevant.

"I do empathise with anyone who thinks the ad is insensitive and wish to apologise to them as well. What we are facing is terrifying, and while we protect ourselves from a health perspective, we also need to do so from a legal perspective. Succession planning is important for every family as it helps to build a better future," he stated.

A will is a legal document that expresses a person's wishes as to how their property is to be distributed after their death.

COVID-19 has claimed more than 87,600 lives across the world thus far, four of them occuring in Jamaica.

Clarke, who is also a justice of the peace, says two of his clients over 60 called him wanting to get their wills done, in light of the pandemic.

Then and there, he was prompted to put out the advertisement. "I figured that other persons might be interested in getting a will done," he said.

Reached out to him

The lawyer said that after his "Write your will today!" ad appeared in The Gleaner last week, many persons from various communities reached out to him, seeking his services.

"Nobody used the word 'worried' to me or anything. They just called to say 'I saw your ad in the paper and I'm interested in doing a will. What is the cost and when can I get one done'?" he related.

Clarke said that it is important for persons to have a will prepared - especially now.

"A will ensures that the testator's (person who made a will) assets are distributed a according to his wishes and can prevent family conflicts, ensure a person's estate is not left in limbo, and will ensure wealth remains within the family,"

The Reverend Everton Jackson, director of integral mission for the Baptist World Alliance, said that "write your will today" is an appropriate advice.

"There is this mistaken notion that will writing is a death sentence. This is far from the truth. Whether there is pandemic or not, it is advisable that every person with material possession should have a will to indicate his or her intention regarding the distribution of material possession," he said.

He says the wrongness of the ad would be determined by a motive to exploit the current health crisis for personal financial gain.

"If the motive is to urge persons to be responsible given the current pandemic, there is nothing insensitive about the counsel given. Pandemic or no pandemic, we should all take heed and have our will in place," the pastor said.