Putting your Estate Plan in place provides an opportunity for you to review your current insurances to check whether they are adequate for your current circumstances. Those of you who have a financial advisor would most likely go through this process on a regular basis as part of their service offering.

During our lifetime many of us rely on the counsel of trusted advisors whether they be accountants, financial advisors, lawyers, stock brokers, business coaches or insurance agents. For some of us, we may formulate a strong relationship with one or more trusted advisor over many years and therefore our advisors may possess intimate knowledge in respect to a specific area of your business and personal matters.

I am a little excited to announce that I am a finalist in the 2022 Australian Law Awards in the Regional/Suburban Lawyer of the year category.

The national awards program is the pinnacle event for recognising talent in the Australian legal industry, so I feel very honoured to be listed as a finalist.

Deposit Releases can be a paramount topic when buying and selling property. Many sellers are of the school of thought that once your house is sold and the deposit is paid by the purchaser into the real estate agent's that the deposit is automatically released to you. Unfortunately it is not that simple.

Creating a “When I die” file can make things easier for your executor and loved ones. If you can leave your affairs in as pristine order as possible your executors and loved ones will be immensely thankful. Here’s a look at what to include and who to tell about your list.

These days it is extremely common to own assets that are not held in Australia, that is, the assets are held overseas, and hence are overseas assets. It has become increasingly common for people to enquire whether they can make provision in their Australian will for assets owned in an international jurisdiction.

Pets have become an integral part of our lives with many more families becoming pet-owners during COVID lockdowns. And in my experience as an estate planning lawyer, clients have even confided that they sometimes like their pets more than their children.

So, like other family members, it’s important to ensure you make provision for them in your will. Let’s take a look at some of the things you should consider.

To ensure your interests are taken care of after you are gone, there are many documents and provisions you need to put in place. Here is a brief business owner’s guide to estate planning.

To most people, their children are their most precious asset.

Deciding who will care for your minor children if you are no longer here is something that a lot of people struggle with when putting their Will in place.

So, let’s help you along and share some tips of what you should consider when appointing a guardian for your children.

Many of us have special sentimental items that we would like to leave to certain people (our very important people, or VIPs) when we are no longer here.

If this is the case for you, it would be expedient for you to document the items that you would like to leave to specific people.

What you will put in your Will is really dependant on your individual and family circumstances at the time you put your Will in place.

Most of us have an up to date Will, but how many of us have thought about who will manage our affairs if we become incapacitated.

The Appointment of Medical Treatment Decision Maker document allows you to appoint someone to make medical decisions on your behalf in the event that you are unable to do so.

It’s always exciting the purchase property, especially if you have found your dream home.

However it is equally as important to be logical in such times and ensure that you undertake your due diligence as for most people purchasing a home is the biggest investment of their life and we don’t want to get it wrong, there is nothing fun about ending up with a lemon that ends up costing you much more than the sale price.

Given that most deaths are unexpected, it is normal for an executor to be overwhelmed in respect to what to do and where to start, particularly if you have lost a close loved one.

The first role of the executor is to organise the funeral or celebration of life of the deceased. The deceased may have left instructions in their Will or amongst their private papers in respect to their wishes for their funeral or celebration of life. The deceased may have also arranged a prepaid funeral, if so the executor will need to liaise with the appropriate funeral director in respect to this.