Estate planning is an important process to ensure the preservation and correct allocation of all your assets to facilitate a particular result upon your demise.

We are able to assist you with the implementation of a legal regime to enable your wishes.

A Will is a legal document that allocates your assets upon your death.

A Will is one of the most important documents you will sign in your life as it concerns the disposition of your entire estate.

The adoption of standard "will forms" completed by inexperienced persons using inappropriate language and methods can result in legal uncertainty, inconvenience, distress and expense to those whom one might have intended to benefit upon death.

We can assist from accurately drafting simple Wills through to complex Wills including trusts to be established after your death. We will ensure that your will is tailored to your unique circumstances and satisfies your requirements.

The failure to have an effective and accurate will may result in your estate becoming subject to the laws relating to intestacy..

Your Will should be revised from time to time and we can assist by reviewing your existing Will and advising if it meets your current wishes. Wills should also be revised when any significant changes occur in your family or relationships or in relation to the assets held by you.

We can also ensure that your Will is signed and witnessed correctly and thereafter stored in a secure fireproof environment.

Contact us directly to find out how we can assist you in the preparation or review of your Will.

Following the death of a person in circumstances where there is a valid Will appointing an executor or executors application can be made to the Supreme Court for a Grant of Probate. This is an order from the court confirming that the Will is valid and the Executor has the authority to administer the deceased's estate and transfer assets to the executor's name and thence to the beneficiaries provided in the Will.

If you have been nominated as an Executor we can prepare all the necessary documents and apply to the Supreme Court for a Grant of Probate on your behalf.

More complicated situations can arise where a Will exists but no Executor is able to act or all executors named are deceased.

If there is no will or the will fails to properly allocate all of the estate the deceased is said to have died intestate or partially intestate and an application to the Supreme Court for Letters of Administration is required: other legal action may also need to be taken. We can assist in any such complicated situations and offer pragmatic advice on how the estate may be administrated. Intestacy brings into play other considerations - see our section on the Succession Act 2006.

We offer a complete service to assist you in administrating a deceased estate from obtaining a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration appointing you as the Executor or Administrator of the estate through to realising the assets of the estate and distributing the estate in accordance with the Will or other orders made under the Succession Act.

Contact our office on 9517 1988 to discuss how our Wills and Estates services could help you or fill out and submit the following form.