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Will Contests and Estate Disputes – an Overview
In Australia, there are legal avenues available to individuals who wish to contest a will or challenge the distribution of an estate. Although regrettable, such disputes are often unavoidable and sometimes essential to ensure fair outcomes. Understanding these legal...
Common Family Law Fallacies
If you are in the unfortunate situation of going through a break-up you have probably heard all sorts of ‘advice’ from well-meaning friends and family. Family and friends are a great source of emotional and practical support when you have separated, however good legal...
Do you have a business partner? Then you need a Partnership Agreement!
A Partnership Agreement is a contract between all the partners in a business and outlines each partner’s duties and responsibilities, governs important matters that arise from the business, procedures for making business decisions and how to resolve disputes amongst...
What a Will Kit doesn’t do
There are various ‘Will Kits’ available on-line – most are cheap or ‘free’ and all you need to do is download them and fill in the blanks. Many websites boast that you can prepare your Will ‘without spending hundreds of dollars on legal fees’. Simple, right? Not...
Succession planning and the family farm – key considerations
At some stage in life, most farming families will need to consider wondering whether to transfer your farming land to one or more of your children as part of your retirement and succession planning? A farm is a particularly complex asset to include in your estate...
We’re still friends, why do we need a ‘legal’ property settlement?
Many couples separate on good terms, which is great. The breakdown of a relationship can be difficult, however putting differences aside to move forward can be beneficial, particularly where children are concerned. Ex-partners who remain on good terms may choose to...
The benefits of mediation in a commercial dispute
Lawyers are often stereotyped as being interested in prolonging an expensive Court action. More often the opposite is true. Lawyers know that Court cases are expensive and that clients are fearful that legal costs could escalate to an intolerable level. Lawyers...
FAQ on Estate Planning
While many people are unlikely to nominate estate planning aka “Thinking about what will happen to my assets when I die” as being on their “most wanted things to do” list in reality, this is something that should be on all our “must do” lists. Proactively planning for...