More Central Texans are organizing their will and final estate as uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus continues to rise.
Waco-based lawyer Artie Giotes said his office has seen a steady rise in the the number of callers asking about wills.
"The COVID virus has brought that into focus," Giotes said. "It's brought the family closer together, and now is the time to talk about those things."
With the number of positive cases, hospitalizations and deaths on the rise, the topic of death has become a more regular part of conversation, according to Giotes.
"There's so many deaths in the county, state and country," he said. "I think that's made people more cognizant of the fact that we need to take care of this and we're not going to live forever."
So, what should you do if you want to get your affairs in order?
Giotes suggests taking advantage of extra family time to have discussions about estate plans. Having the discussions before meeting with a lawyer will help save the amount of time and billable hours you work with the lawyer.
If you are in a major financial pinch, he says some online sites offer tools to help, but Giotes says they are often one-size-fits-all, meaning they may not work best under Texas guidelines.
All in all, he says the most important part is making sure your family is prepared for the unexpected.
"There's a lot of uncertainty and for that reason alone, you need those documents," he said.
