Free estate planning for healthcare workers

The Chicago Bar Association is partnering with several top Chicago law firms to offer free, virtual estate planning services for doctors, nurses and others who are treating coronavirus patients in hospitals and health care facilities in the Chicago area.

The program will enable health care workers to receive free legal assistance in preparing simple wills and powers of attorney for themselves, their spouses or partners.

It will consist of virtual clinics offered in partnership between the CBA and the law firms or corporate law departments. The document automation software company HotDocs is donating the software and licenses that will make it possible to execute the program virtually.

To be eligible for assistance, the individual must be a licensed health care provider in the state. After an initial intake process is conducted by telephone, the health care worker will be connected with a volunteer attorney for an appointment, in which the attorney will walk the person through the execution of documents and assist in signing and notarizing using audiovisual technology.

Healthcare workers who are interested in taking advantage of the service can call the Chicago Bar Association at (312) 554-2130 or connect by email at wills@chicagobar.org. Additional information is available at www.chicagobar.org/chicagobar/wills.