ESTATE PLANNING, WILLS AND PROBATE

WILLS & PROBATE

Planning for your family’s future after you’re gone is a really important legal task.

If you take the time now to make an effective legally binding Will and Testament you can save your family not only stress but money in what will undoubtedly be a difficult time for them.

Our lawyers can help:

  • Advise you in regard to estate and Probate laws
  • Write a will that maximises the inheritance for your family
  • Set up family and testamentary trusts
  • Advise you in regard to choosing executors and guardians
  • Minimise the chance that your will is contested and subject to litigation

At the same time as considering your Will we strongly recommend that you also put in place plans for any future incapacity through Power of Attorney and Guardianship documents. This will ensure that if you somehow become unable to make decisions about your finances, your medical treatment or living arrangements then the person or persons who you trust to make these decisions can do so unhindered.

We understand that dealing with a deceased estate is one of the more difficult challenges in life. From mountains of paper work to legal jargon and simmering family disputes, they’re the last things you want to deal with when you’re grieving the loss of someone important in your life.

So, let us help you by:

  • Interpreting the Will of the deceased in terms of estate laws
  • Advising executors and trustees in regard to their duties and rights
  • Informing government bodies including Centrelink and Veterans Affairs
  • Applying for Probate of the Will in the Supreme Court
  • Dealing with intestacy (where there is no Will)
  • Applying for Letters of Administration (if the Will is deemed invalid or is absent)
  • Identifying estate assets and liabilities
  • Obtaining valuations of estate property
  • Collecting estate financial assets including superannuation, bank funds, shares, outstanding loans, and insurance payouts
  • Selling or transferring estate property including estate auctions
  • Paying estate debts including mortgages, funeral costs, and testamentary expenses
  • Advising in regard to family and testamentary trusts
  • Administering trust funds
  • Distributing bequests and inheritances to beneficiaries
  • Organising information for estate tax returns
  • Family mediation and negotiation
  • Contesting wills and defending estate litigation in the Supreme Court

Contact us to find out more or to arrange an appointment with our lawyers today.