The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc in our personal lives,
work environment and throughout the economy. Much of what we used
to do easily has taken on significantly more difficulty during the
pandemic. Access to justice is also increasingly difficult, with
the closure of courts to the public, and only urgent or consent
civil matters being heard.
Our courts are needed for many important purposes, including one
of the most fundamental and initial steps in the administration of
estates: probate.
"Probate" is the process whereby a deceased
person's Will is validated so that the persons named as
executors, can carry out the administration of the estate. When
probate is granted, executors are given a "Certificate of
Appointment of Estate Trustee With a Will" (also commonly
called "probate certificate"), which they can produce to
third parties as proof of their authority on behalf of the
deceased's estate. Banks and other financial institutions
insist on probate
