An Estate Signing Professionals Community
What is CESP?
CESP | Estate Signing Professionals is a community for commissioned notaries who want to develop their skills, build professional relationships, and pursue a specialty in trust and estate signing ceremonies.
Created by Dean Eason-Williams, CESP brings together practical education, shared experience, and professional support to develop competent, qualified, and prepared estate signing professionals.
Start with Explore, our free membership tier, or choose a paid membership level for expanded access to education, resources, and community programming. Stand-alone courses are also available for those who prefer to focus on a particular topic or learn as their needs develop.
For notaries ready to pursue certification, the Certified Estate Signing Professional program offers an 18-week, live video Intensive taught by Dean. Attendance is required at all 18 sessions, with opportunities to ask questions, participate in discussions, and apply what you learn. Certification requires completion of the program’s instruction, activities, final examination, capstone project, and other established requirements.
Whether you are exploring estate signing work or building an established specialty, there is a place for you in CESP. Community membership does not require pursuing certification.
Your Mindset. Your Mission. Your Specialty.
Why Switch to Trust & Estate Signings?
Trust and estate signing work does not depend on the housing market or interest rates. Individuals and families work with estate planning professionals year-round to protect themselves, care for those they love, and prepare for the future. These appointments are more than transactions. You are helping signers put their plans into action, and those documents represent real people, real concerns, and real legacies. These are people’s lives in ink on paper.
Some Words from CESP Graduates
Josetta Lopez, Josetta's Signings
Paula Gordon, Aspire Professional Signing Solutions
Paula Gordon, Aspire Professional Signing Solutions
“Dean’s course filled those gaps—and gave me so much more. He brings his knowledge and real-world experience into every lesson, using practical examples, detailed instruction, and hands-on learning to help everything come together.”
Josetta Lopez, CESP
First Certified Estate Signing Professional Graduate, Website
Paula Gordon, Aspire Professional Signing Solutions
Paula Gordon, Aspire Professional Signing Solutions
Paula Gordon, Aspire Professional Signing Solutions
“The course was well organized and filled with practical information. I appreciated Dean's ability to explain complex topics clearly and provide valuable insight that went beyond simply teaching a course.”
Paula Gordon, CESP
Diane Padilla, Padilla Notary
Paula Gordon, Aspire Professional Signing Solutions
Diane Padilla, Padilla Notary
"In this course, I learned that estate signings are not just routine processing of documents. Instead, you are taught step by step how to conduct a structured estate signing ceremony where you will lead the signing with intention, clarity, and professionalism.”
Diane Padilla, CESP, Wesbite
CESP | Estate Signing Professionals
Who is CESP for?
Membership Tiers: Free & Paid
Membership Tiers: Free & Paid
CESP is for notaries public who are currently commissioned in their jurisdiction and are interested in trust and estate signing work. Some members are exploring the specialty for the first time. Others are adding estate signings to their existing services, building a business around this work, or pursuing the Certified Estate Signing Professional designation.
You do not need prior estate signing experience to join. You do need a willingness to learn, respect for the boundaries of your notarial role, and a commitment to serving signers with preparation, professionalism, and care. CESP offers a place to ask questions, share experiences, build relationships, and develop your skills alongside other notaries who share your interest in this specialty.
Membership requires a current, active notary commission. Community membership and certification are separate, so you can participate and learn without enrolling in the certification program. If you are not yet commissioned, begin with your jurisdiction’s commissioning requirements. We welcome you to join once your commission is active.
Membership Tiers: Free & Paid
Membership Tiers: Free & Paid
Membership Tiers: Free & Paid
Explore
Explore is free. It includes community discussions and networking, live Camp Clarity sessions, Notary Fundamentals, introductory educational resources, and community events. For some members, Explore is all they'll ever need. For others, it's where they figure out whether estate signing work belongs in their business.
Elevate
Elevate is a paid membership for notaries developing their trust and estate signing specialty. It adds Camp Clarity recordings, boot camps with document study and mock signings, an expanded resource library with business templates and attorney outreach tools, and member pricing on eligible courses. Moving to Elevate does not commit you to certification.
Candidates & Certified
Notaries enrolled in the 18-week CESP Intensive are Candidates and receive complete access t0 all intensive-related portions of the classroom the duration of the program. Those who complete all certification requirements earn the Certified Estate Signing Professional designation. Dedicated candidate and graduate areas provide resources for their respective stages of the journey. Community membership alone does not confer certification.
CESP Educational Courses & More
The Certified Estate Signing Professional Pathway
The Certified Estate Signing Professional Pathway
CESP courses and programs are built for working notaries. Some are available now and others are in development. Access depends on your membership level or enrollment.
- An Introduction to Estate Signings (a separately purchased course)
- Notary Fundamentals
- Camp Clarity
- Business development training
- LinkedIn for Estate Signing Professionals
- Canva for Estate Signing Professionals
- Profile Optimization
- Focused boot camps
- The CESP Intensive (certification training)
Courses that teach third-party platforms such as LinkedIn, Canva, or Skool are independent training. CESP is not affiliated with or endorsed by those companies.
The Certified Estate Signing Professional Pathway
The Certified Estate Signing Professional Pathway
The Certified Estate Signing Professional Pathway
Certification is the highest level of CESP. It is earned, not included with membership.
Candidates complete the 18-week, live CESP Intensive, pass a 100-question open-book Final Examination, complete and present a Capstone Project, and sign the CESP Professional Standards Pledge. Certification takes effect only when every requirement has been met.
While enrolled in the Intensive, candidates have complete access to all intensive lessons and other applicable areas of the CESP community, including the contents provided to them under their membership leve before enrollment in the CESP intensive.
Competent. Qualified. Prepared.
An Overview of the CESP Certification Intensive
Course Outline & Structure
CESP is an 18-week, live certification program for commissioned notaries who want to develop the knowledge, judgment, systems, and professional relationships needed to conduct attorney-prepared trust and estate signing ceremonies.
Through practical instruction, scenarios, workbook activities, and an applied capstone project, candidates learn to guide the signing process with preparation, professionalism, and respect for the people in the room while remaining within their authorized notarial role.
Phase I: Estate Signing Ceremony Foundations
- Intensive 1: The Estate Signing Ceremony Mindset
- Intensive 2: Estate Document Overview
- Intensive 3: Signing Room Control & Dynamics
- Intensive 4: Estate Signing Ceremony Process
Phase II: Advanced Operations and Specialized Environments
- Intensive 5: Advanced Estate Signing Complications & Problem Resolution
- Intensive 6: Advanced Estate Signing Systems
- Intensive 7: Healthcare, Hospital & Assisted Living Estate Signings
- Intensive 8: Hospice & End-of-Life Estate Signing Environments
Phase III: Attorney Relationships and Professional Collaboration
- Intensive 9: Attorney Relationships & Professional Collaboration, Part I
- Intensive 10: Attorney Relationships & Professional Collaboration, Part II
Phase IV: Advanced Attorney Relationship Development
- Intensive 11: Advanced Attorney Relationship Development, Part I
- Intensive 12: Advanced Attorney Relationship Development, Part II
- Intensive 13: Advanced Attorney Relationship Development, Part III
Phase V: Capstone Project and Presentation
- Intensive 14: CESP Capstone: Building Your Real Attorney Relationship System, Week 1
- Intensive 15: CESP Capstone: Building Your Real Attorney Relationship System, Week 2
- Intensive 16: CESP Capstone: Building Your Real Attorney Relationship System, Week 3
- Intensive 17: CESP Capstone Final Presentation, Part I
- Intensive 18: CESP Capstone Final Presentation, Part II
Certification Requirements
To earn the Certified Estate Signing Professional designation, candidates must complete each of the following requirements:
- Complete the 18-week Intensive and required learning activities.
- Pass the 100-question open-book final examination with a score of at least 80%.
- Complete the capstone project and successfully present it live.
- Submit a signed CESP Professional Standards Pledge.
- Provide proof of a current, active notary commission.
- Satisfy all tuition requirements.
Live Instruction and Participation
Attendance is required at all 18 live video sessions. Candidates learn directly with Dean and their fellow participants through questions, discussion, scenarios, and practical exercises. This format gives candidates opportunities to work through situations, practice their responses, and receive feedback.
Workbook Activities and Practical Application
Required workbook activities connect the instruction to the work candidates will perform. The focus is on preparation, professional judgment, communication, and repeatable practices that support an organized, signer-centered estate signing ceremony.
Final Examination
The final examination includes 100 open-book questions, with a passing score of at least 80%. Candidates must pass the examination before delivering their live capstone presentation.
Capstone Project and Presentation
Candidates build a real attorney relationship system that applies what they have learned to their own business. The live presentation demonstrates the required elements and how the candidate intends to put that system into practice.
Professional Responsibility
The CESP Professional Standards Pledge establishes expectations for professional behavior, impartiality, and respect for signers. Candidates must understand their jurisdiction’s notary requirements and recognize when a question or concern belongs with the preparing attorney.
Earning the Designation
Enrollment establishes Candidate status. The Certified Estate Signing Professional title and certification logo may be used only after all certification requirements have been satisfied.
CESP prepares notaries for the execution side of estate signing ceremonies. Certification does not expand a notary’s legal authority or authorize legal advice, document interpretation, or estate planning services.
Note: Participants must always follow the laws and statutes governing their notary commission and the requirements of their commissioning authority and jurisdiction.
Why Specialize in Trust & Estate Signings?
Your Mindset. Your Mission. Your Specialty.
Estate planning documents represent families, assets, wishes, and legacies. The notary at the table needs more than familiarity with a signature line. This work calls for preparation, sound judgment, clear communication, and care for the people signing.
You may be sitting with a couple planning for retirement, an individual preparing for an unexpected medical situation, or a family gathering around a loved one in hospice. Each appointment brings its own circumstances. Your ability to arrive prepared, maintain a calm signing environment, and recognize when to pause and contact the preparing attorney matters.
Developing this specialty helps you build consistent signing practices, navigate sensitive environments, and work professionally with estate planning attorneys. It also means understanding your limits. You guide the signing process within your authorized role while leaving legal explanations and advice to the attorney.
Trust and estate signing work can also give your business a focused direction beyond loan signings. It does not depend on housing sales or interest rates. Individuals and families work with estate planning professionals throughout the year to protect themselves, provide for those they love, and prepare for the future. Serving them well creates opportunities to build lasting professional relationships based on preparation, reliability, and trust.
The title of Dean’s second best-selling book, “People’s Lives in Ink on Paper,” captures the responsibility behind this work. The names on those pages belong to the people sitting across from you. Their documents reflect personal decisions about who they trust, what they value, and how they want their wishes carried forward. Remembering that changes how you prepare, how you communicate, and how you show up.
CESP supports your development through community, practical education, and an optional certification pathway. Whether you are exploring estate signings or making this work your specialty, the goal is to help you serve with greater knowledge, professional judgment, and care. Those who successfully complete all certification requirements earn the Certified Estate Signing Professional designation.
Your Mindset. Your Mission. Your Specialty.
