The loss of a loved one is a profound and overwhelming experience. Not only do you need to deal with your personal grief and the roller-coaster of emotions, but you may also be responsible for finalising the financial affairs of the deceased. The most common question we hear from our clients when they have lost their loved one is, “What do I need to do now?” Such a question, tinged with … [Read more...]
Probate & The Role of Executor
“My Great Aunt Edna just died and it seems she has listed me as her sole executor. I’m feeling quite overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.” When a family member or close friend dies it is normal to feel a whole range of feelings ranging from grief to confusion. The news that you have been named as an executor may come as a surprise (although hopefully not), and will certainly heighten … [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...]
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...]
“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...]
