How long does Olsen Law Group keep copies of signed wills?

Daryl: How long do you keep wills in your vault?

Attorney Tom Olsen: Oh my God, I've got wills that go back to the '50s and they were done on onion paper and carbon paper copies. We've got a huge, huge stash of wills. I don't know if you're saying you've lost yours Daryl, but then if you did, there's a good chance I've got a signed one here in my office. When we do wills for clients, we do have them sign two copies, the original is for them and we keep a signed copy in our office as well. That just reminded me of a story that I've never told you before.

Attorney Chris Merrill: Oh, I'd love to hear.

Attorney Tom Olsen: Well, I've been a lawyer since 1981. I had the privilege of practicing law with my father for the first five years of practice. We had an office in downtown Orlando. I can picture it perfectly right, and we had one cabinet where he kept all his copies of signed wills. At that moment in time, maybe two shelves full of wills, but I remember at some point in time, we're looking at this cabinet full of wills and he looks at me and goes, "That's the most valuable thing I'm going to be leaving you in this law practice. This cabinet full of wills."

Attorney Chris Merrill: Wow. What was his meaning of that?

Attorney Tom Olsen: His meaning was, that someday these people are going to pass away and you're going to get to do the probate form, more than likely.

Attorney Chris Merrill: Oh, okay, but that's what he was thinking?

Attorney Tom Olsen: That's what he was thinking.

Attorney Chris Merrill: Okay.

Attorney Tom Olsen: Even he knew back then in the day, that probates were expensive, it was a good source of income for attorneys and that's a reason why we're all about helping people to avoid probate here in Florida, but we've gone from two cabinets of signed wills to thousands-

Attorney Chris Merrill: Oh, thousands.

Attorney Tom Olsen: -of signed wills. It serves people because sometimes they'll call us and say, "Tom, I signed my will with you five years ago, I've lost my copy." Well, guess what? We've got an original that we can send them, but it also means that occasionally I get in there and somebody says, "Do you have a signed copy of my will in there?" I get in to start looking at these wills, and I find these wills that go back to the 1950s, that my dad did and they'd be on onion paper, I think they called it.

Attorney Chris Merrill: Onionskin paper.

Attorney Tom Olsen: Onionskin paper that were typed via carbon paper. These are ancient, but they're fun to look at because they all have my dad's signature on them, of course.

Attorney Chris Merrill: Of course that's really special for you, to look at that and see your dad's signature, and it's also special when somebody brings one in.

Attorney Tom Olsen: One other thing about them onionskin paper typed with carbons and always on legal paper, and back then, man, I'm talking '81, whether it's legal paper for your wills or whether it's your letterhead, it was all about engraved. There was no-- I don't know what kind of-- You know what I'm talking about?

Attorney Chris Merrill: I do.

Attorney Tom Olsen: I mean, literally engraved paper. Everything was very formal back then.