Legal Essentials

A question we get asked a lot as Wills and Estate lawyers, is 'how often should I review my Will?', this article covers that question along with outlining reasons as to why you should update your Will.

How often should you review your will? We should be reviewing our wills and estate plans every two to three years, estates lawyer Gillian Hunter says.

Congratulations to Charlie who is now an admitted lawyer at our sister company Lewis Holdway Lawyers

A big congratulations to Charlie Beresford who was admitted at the Supreme Court in Melbourne this afternoon. Charlie has been working at Lewis Holdway Lawyers as a graduate in our Dispute Resolution and Commercial teams for the past 6 months and we are looking forward to seeing him succeed as a LH Lawyer!

In a world full of uncertainties, ensuring the well-being of your loved ones is so important. Our blog delves into the vital topic of Looking After Vulnerable Beneficiaries - Protective Trusts.

Discover how protective trusts can provide financial security, support, and peace of mind for those who need it most.

Looking After Vulnerable Beneficiaries - Protective Trusts - Legal Essentials A Protective Trust is basically having someone else look after your adult child’s money on their behalf- this person is called the Trustee.

Did you know about the Contract Cooling Off Period? It's your safety net when making important decisions. Check out our blog for more information about your rights!

Cooling Off Periods - Conveyancing Lawyers Melbourne Finding the right property can be difficult, so it can be comforting to know that you have a cooling off period in case you have second thoughts.

If you've ever wondered when to worry and what to do when it comes to will disputes, check out this informative article by Legal Essentials!

Will Challenge | Will Dispute | Will Lawyers Melbourne You would probably be surprised to learn how often we are asked about whether a particular family member can challenge a Will. In my experience, when clients raise concerns about their family “black sheep” and whether they can challenge, they feel somewhat embarrassed and usually like their fami...

What happens if you've been appointed as someone's executor but you don't want to act in that role? Check out our latest blog for more info!

What if I don’t want to be an executor? - Legal Essentials Someone you know has died and you find out that you have been appointed as an Executor of their Will. As an Executor, you will need to prove their Will to the Probate Office and then administer the estate. You might not have known they had appointed you and you don’t want to or don’t have the ti...

While most clients organise a signing appointment with us to finalise their documents, some opt to sign themselves. So who can witness your documents? Wills and Enduring Powers of Attorney have different requirements, check out our latest blog to find out more!

Who Can Witness Your Documents - Legal Essentials A question we get asked a lot is ‘who can witness my estate planning documents?’ In this post we aim to outline in clear terms who can witness your documents.

It's important to know where you have stored your original documents. It's also important to let your close family members and Executors know where the documents are. But what if they can't find your Will when they need it?

Where Is Your Original Will - Legal Essentials It is important to know where you have stored your original documents, including your Powers of Attorney, Wills and even Certificates of Title.

A frequently asked question we often get is who can get a copy of a Will after the will maker has died. Our latest blog gives you that answer!

Who Is Allowed Copies Of Your Will - Legal Essentials When a person has died, you would be forgiven for thinking there is a round table ‘reading of the Will’ as is often seen in movies. This is not the case.

Is there a charity you would like to leave a gift to in your Will? Check out our latest blog for more details about how to do that!

Gifting To Charities In Your Will - Legal Essentials It is quite common for individuals to gift an amount from their estate, or even a percentage of their estate to a charity of their choice.

How does the 2023 budget affect your properties??

The 2023 budget has been released and here is what you need to know if you own more than one property, excluding your family home!

An annual land tax has been introduced to assist the government in repaying the COVID debt that was incurred over the last few years. It will be a 10-year levy and this is how it will work:
- You will pay an additional $500 to properties worth between $50,000 and $100,000.
- You will pay an additional $975 to properties worth between $100,000 and $300,000.

A fee of $975 plus an additional 0.1% of the lands value will be payable for any property valued over $300,000!

It is estimated 860,000 homeowners and businesses will be affected by this tax with the government claiming they are being targeted as they have had healthy recent profits. Mr. Pallas commented that it would be a “modest contribution” from the group, however we believe some would beg to differ…what do you think of this tax and reasoning behind it?

Victorian budget targets big employers and property investors with 'COVID Debt Levy' Big businesses, holiday-home owners and landlords will be asked to foot the bill for the Victorian government's COVID-19 debt, as part of a 10-year budget repair plan unveiled in the state budget.

When we start a conveyancing matter with you, one of the first things we do is send you a link via email and text to complete your VOI and CAF. But what are they and why do we do that? Check out our latest blog for more info!

What are VOIs & CAFs? - Legal Essentials As of January 2018, all conveyancing transactions require a Client Authorisation Form (CAF) to be completed by the parties to the transaction along with a Verification of Identity (VOI) check.

Legal Will kits may seem like a great easy and cheap option, but they come with several risks. Our newest blog goes over those risks! And check out our Wills Express for an alternative Will Kit

5 Problems with Will Kits | Will & Estate Lawyers Melbourne There are many reasons why a Will-kit Will might run aground, but here are the top five: 1. It hasn't been signed correctly...

We hope everyone has a lovely and safe Easter weekend! We will be closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday but back at it on Tuesday.

👩‍💻 Cracking the Code: Innovation for a gender equal future 👩‍💻

The theme for International Women's Day 2023 highlights the role that bold, transformative ideas, inclusive technologies, and accessible education can play in combatting discrimination and marginalisation of women globally.

What do you actually need to do as an executor? We’ve created this handy checklist and wrote a blog earlier this week! Feel free to reach out to us any time you need assistance too!

Are you appointed as the executor of someone's Will? Check out our latest blog to find out what's actually involved and how we can help you!

Duties of an Executor - Legal Essentials What does an executor need to do? What are the duties of an executor? Legal Essentials can help executor fulfil their duties as executor during what can ...

Thinking about buying property? Check out our latest blog for what's involved and reach out to us to get started!!

Conveyancing for Buying a Property - Legal Essentials Buying a property is an exciting journey and we are here to guide you through the process and make it as blissful as possible.

When meeting with us to discuss your estate, we will give you the option of doing a standard or DTT Will, but what is a DTT Will? Check out our blog post for more info 😄

What is a Discretionary Testamentary Trust (DTT)? - Legal Essentials In essence, a DTT is a structure that can be put in your Will that can save your beneficiaries from paying unnecessary tax, and may offer other protections to your beneficiaries as well.

How is Christmas this week???? We will be closing at noon on 23 December and returning on 9 January. We hope everyone has a lovely Christmas and New Years break!

Do you have anyone living outside of Australia you might leave property to in your Will? Check out the latest blog for some information to think through if you do, then contact us and start organising your Will!

Foreign Beneficiaries and the FIRB - Legal Essentials In Australia, foreign persons are required to obtain approval from the Australian government to acquire an interest in Australian property. Foreign persons are generally not given approval to obtain an interest in established dwellings, they can only buy vacant land or new or near-new dwellings.

Did you know the SRO introduced a new late settlement fee? Contact us if you have any questions about it!

Do you know what makes a Will legit? What happens if a Will isn't legit? Check out our latest blog about informal Wills and reach out to us if you need help getting one through Probate!

Informal Wills - Legal Essentials In order to make a valid Will, there are two basic requirements: 1. The Will must be in writing 2.The Will must be signed in front of two witnesses.The Wills Act 1997 sets out further obligations on how to comply with the above requirements which can be quite technical.

Did you know that from Monday 11 July 2022 the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registry in Victoria will have two types of death certificates available for issue? There will now be an option of ‘Death Certificate’ and ‘Death Certificate – cause of death’.

TAKE NOTE: For all Grant of Representation applications a ‘Death Certificate – cause of death’ certificate will be required.

Contact one of our lawyers if you have questions regarding the new death certificates and which one you should apply for or regarding an application for a Grant of Representation for a deceased family member.

Friday’s EOFY getaway and dinner with the community! ❤️❤️ Still working on our group photo skillz…

Advance Care Directives can also include a Values Directive. Values Directives are a statement of your values and preferences for your medical treatment. Check out our latest blog for some questions to think through and let us know if we can assist you with an Advance Care Directive!

Advance Care Directives | Values Directives | Lawyers Melbourne What is a values directive? A values directive is a statement of your values and preferences for your medical treatment. In an Advance Care Directive...

Great at working together, terrible at group pics 🤦‍♀️ and these were the best out of the twenty pics taken… love working with these legends ❤️❤️❤️

There are two types of directives you can include in an Advance Care Directives. Do you know what you medical treatment you do or don't want? Read more about Instruction Directives for more info!

Advance Care Directive - Part 2 - Instructional Directives - Legal Essentials In Advance Care Directives you are able to include Values Directives and Instructional Directives to provide your Medical Treatment Decision Maker with guidelines on what you would like to happen should you lose capacity and are unable to make medical decisions on your own. An Instructional Directiv...