Over the past several years, a new area of law has begun to affect the broader population in increasingly significant ways. Watching an aspect of U.S. law evolve so rapidly can be intriguing – and even a little exciting – for those who are interested in the ways in which the law works. However, when an area of law becomes consequential very quickly, those who don’t pay close attention to legal trends are often shocked by the ways in which a new legal reality has the power to affect them.
Living in the digital age means that an increasingly significant portion of people’s lives tends to be managed via electronic means. As a result, estate planning law has been compelled to adapt to this societal shift. More and more often, surviving loved ones of those who have recently passed away are being impacted by whether the departed had thought to make their digital estate wishes known.
Those who were alerted to the development of digital estate planning as an emerging area of law and responded proactively may have left detailed instructions concerning their wishes for their loved ones to follow. Those who were unaware of the need for a digital estate plan may have left a digital mess behind.
Now what?
All that those who are grappling with the digital mess left behind by a loved one can do is seek legal guidance in order to manage that situation to the best of their ability. Thankfully, everyone who understands that digital estate planning is now an urgently relevant area of law can also take steps to ensure that they don’t unintentionally burden their loved ones by leaving a digital mess behind too.