Riley B. "B.B." King died on 14 May 2015 at the age of 89 and was an American blues singer, electric guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. King introduced a unique style of solo guitar and heavily influenced many later electric blues guitarists. B.B. King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 having earned the nickname "The King of the Blues". Until well … [Read more...]
How to find an awesome Estate Lawyer (and what can happen if you don’t)
We see them a lot; Lawyers that is, advertising their cut-price Wills on brightly painted sandwich boards plonked on the footpaths of our suburban streets. There is an old saying that goes something like, ‘if something sounds too good to be true then it probably is.’ Where Wills are concerned you really do get what you pay for. In fact, the less you pay the more likely it is that you will be … [Read more...]
Wills Register: An Exciting Leap Forward
A question I get asked in almost every client meeting is whether there is any central registry for storing or locating Wills? The answer is no…well, sort of. Prior to the recent introduction of the Law Society of South Australia’s Will Register (a little more on that in a minute) there was no central registry to store or record the fact that someone has completed a Will in South … [Read more...]
The “Happily” Non-Legal Footy Summation: According to Jason
If you are reading this hoping to have some legal aspect of the AFL dealt with, I will apologise in advance. This blog is about sports. You see, perhaps the only thing that comes close to our passion about the law and Estate Planning, is our passion for sports. Especially Port Adelaide! 6 weeks into the season, and having just returned from watching Port v Richmond at the MCG, I thought now … [Read more...]
Celebrity Wills Blog Series : Osama bin Laden
Ok, so if my last blog about Wills (Nostradamus) was a bit of a stretch on celebrity, this one will surely break that string. To be fair, even I feel bad calling this person a celebrity will, but hey, like I say, everyone needs a Will!! A few weeks back my interest was piqued when I read a news headline suggesting that, according to a recently released Will, “Osama bin Laden left millions of … [Read more...]
Deceased Estate Without a Body?
When dealing with the administration of a deceased estate it seems obvious that you need an actual deceased person! The ordinary course of events would run as follows; Make a will naming an executor; Die; Executor obtains a Grant of Probate; Executor administers deceased estate. Simple right? As a lawyer, experienced in a great variety of Estate matters (many straightforward and … [Read more...]
How my Dog Made me Think About Wills and Funeral Arrangements
Our beloved Maltese terrier, Cooper, died a month ago. Despite the fact that he was an old man of 14 years, it was still a fairly traumatic experience for the whole family. Having made the difficult decision to euthanize him, we were next asked, “What would you like to do with his remains?” Not having experienced, discussed or even considered this before, we had little idea of the options … [Read more...]
“Help! I’m an Executor”
A close friend approached me last week concerned that she had been nominated executor in her grandmother’s Will, she was uncertain exactly as to what this would entail. It is a familiar scenario. Every day executors are nominated in Wills. Usually the nominated person is aware of this, sometimes they are not (in which case they are not alerted to this fact until the estate is enacted). … [Read more...]
Small But Oh So Important: “Certificate of Title”
What is a Duplicate Certificate of Title and why is it important? A Duplicate Certificate of Title is the official document evidencing ownership of real property. The face of the document includes a description of the property, who holds ownership and any liens, encumbrances or easements which may be held over the property. The Duplicate Certificate of Title is identified by a Volume and Folio … [Read more...]
“The Law Society South Australia Pass Motion Condemning Outrageous Hike in Probate Fees”
Recently I wrote in relation to impending changes announced to Probate fees. These fees are as as described in the article "... so exorbitant there can be no other way to classify it other than the reintroduction of a death tax." You can read the article here. On 4th March 2016, The Law Society of South Australia passed a motion to the Members of the Legislative Council condemning these fees. … [Read more...]
