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Wills & Probate
Wills and estates law covers what will happen to your assets in the event of your death, and other arrangements such as the care of your children.
Posessing a valid will is important if you:
- Have children under the age of 18 or still dependant on you,
- Have a de facto partner who you wish to provide for,
- Are no longer married and wish to alter your bequests to a new partner or children,
- Wish to specifically exclude someone from your will,
- Wish to establish a trust to manage your assets or to donate to charity, and jointly own property or assets.
Watson and Watson Lawyers can assist you with drafting or updating your will. Whether your will is simple - where you leave everything to your respective spouse and children or you require a more complex will using testamentary trusts, and from Powers of Attorney through to appointments of Enduring Guardian (looking after your medical care), our lawyers offer more than 20 years in Wills, Probate and Estate Planning.
Our wills & estates services include:
- Making a Will
- People who die without a will - intestate estates
- Estate planning
- Applying for a Grant of Probate
- Family Provisions Act
- probate litigation generally
- Contesting a will
- Lodging caveats
- Powers of attorney
- Appointment of enduring guardian
- Testamentary trust
Your will should be updated if your circumstances change, for example when you have children, marry or divorce. Your current and former partners could become involved in a court battle over your assets if you do not have an up-to-date will.
When preparing your will, you should consider a number of factors including:
- Who your beneficiaries are
- Who to appoint as executor
- Your children's guardian
- Who to leave out of the will
- What your funeral arrangements are
- What happens if your beneficiaries die before you do (who will receive the assets),
- What your assets are
Watson and Watson can facilitate either a standard or a non standard will. A standard will is where you choose to leave all of your assets to your partner and any children. A non standard will, which costs more to prepare, will be recommended if:
- You are in a de facto relationship,
- have children from more than one relationship,
- have complicated financial circumstances,
- you need to make special arrangements for any beneficiary or you own a share of a business or company or have a trust arrangement.
If you are looking to draft your will, update or contest a will, Watson and Watson lawyers can provide the necessary knowledge and experience to ensure your will and probate matter is sucessful. For more information or to book a confidential and obligation free chat, complete the form on the right or call us on 02 9221 6011.
