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If you’re like most people, your will is one of the most valuable documents you will ever write. Whether or not it transfers a great fortune, it represents you after you die, directs how your affairs will be put in order, and influences how you’ll be remembered.
What few people understand is that your will is also the most fragile of legal documents. With wills, courts assume that if your executor can’t present the original, signed paper will, you must have intentionally revoked it. Not only is this valuable document fragile, but there may be many decades between when a will’s written and when it’s needed. A lot can happen in that time.
Most countries in Europe have a centralized service or program that ensures wills are easy to find and stored securely, but in Canada, that isn’t the case.
Angela Fallow is a Wills and Estates lawyer working in Kingston, Ontario. She has been working for many years helping clients when they are in the challenging role of executor. Angela has witnessed first-hand the problems these executors faced when wills were lost. In 2021 she co-founded Custodius to help solve the problem of lost wills. According to Dan Howes, CEO of Custodius, “Our mission is “No More Lost Wills.” Custodius is a place where wills are kept safe, secure, and easy to find.”
For lawyers who write wills for clients, storing wills on behalf of their clients has significant costs and liability. Fireproof filing cabinets are expensive and they utilize valuable office space. The other problem is that eventually, lawyers stop practicing or retire, they are responsible for ensuring the safety of the will. This can result in wills being passed from lawyer to lawyer, but there’s often no record of where the will has gone. Now the will can be stored with Custodius, a permanent solution for will storage.
Clients who write their wills using a will kit or an online service face all the same challenges with keeping a will safe. In November Custodius launched a new service specifically for these clients. It is called WillKeep, and can be accessed inexpensively by anyone.
The facilities at Custodius are designed for long-term document storage. Humidity control, temperature, pest prevention, fire suppression, and advanced security measures optimize the lifespan of documents, thereby offering peace of mind. Even if the lawyer moves, retires, or dies, the will can be retrieved easily.
Angela Fallow is a Wills and Estates Lawyer. She has noticed the time and money that is spent and the conflicts that occur in families when wills are lost. Further, she has also seen the challenging trend of increasing lawyers denying to store wills. Hence, Custodius was established with the mission ‘No More Lost Wills’, resulting in an affordable, long-term will storage solution that anyone can access.
Since the company’s establishment, the response from the customers has been overwhelming. For lawyers, the solution makes a lot of sense. It relieves them of the cost and stresses of providing will storage while offering a better solution for their clients.
Clients, too, find it to be the perfect solution. They appreciate the peace of mind that comes with knowing that their wills are safe and their affairs are all in order. Of law firm clients who are offered Custodius or self-storage, 94% chose Custodius.
Everyone working at Custodius understands how valuable these documents are. All the company procedures and processes are focused on ensuring that every will is carefully tracked, so they know the exact location of the will at all times. Howes expresses his gratitude, “We deeply appreciate the trust our clients have shown us, and we continue to work hard to make sure we’re living up to it.”
Custodius is Canada’s only commercial will storage company. Since the company stores wills solely, the system here is tailored to the needs of these valuable documents. As far as the company’s future is concerned, the team is working to make the platform an affordable service for every citizen of the country.
Howes says, “We want to be the one place every executor can go to easily find and retrieve the most up-to-date original will written by the loved one they have lost, making a difficult process a little easier.”
Description of the Company: Custodius is a company based in Canada that stores physical paper wills, making it easier for clients and lawyers.
Pull Quote: “We want Custodius to be the one place every executor in Canada can go to easily find and retrieve the will they are looking for.”
Company Name: Custodius
Founding Year: 2021
Office Locations: Kingston, Ontario Canada
Official Website of the Company: www.custodius.ca
Name of the Featured Leader: Dan Howes
Designation of the Leader: CEO
