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Contesting a Will

Contesting a Will

Contesting a will occurs where a person claims they have not received adequate provision under the deceased’s will. The law permits a Will to be altered after the consideration of several factors.
It begins with the drafting of a will. The will maker attempts to balance the competing interest of beneficiaries that they believe should benefit. Our Estate Planning Solicitors will be able to advise as to the moral obligation that may be owed to the various parties in your life. If one of these parties feels as though they deserve more or are entitled to more, they would likely exercise their right under the Family Provisions Act and contest the will to seek adequate provision. [...]  READ MORE →

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I have an unsecured debt with a bankrupt – will I get any money back?

If you are an unsecured creditor in a bankruptcy, you might be one of the last few creditors to be paid. In some cases, there may be no funds left to be distributed to you once the secured creditors are paid. However, there is a way of increasing your chance of getting some of what you are owed back.

Priority of creditors

The priority of creditors depends on whether a creditor is a secured or unsecured creditor. Secured creditors are those who have a security interest (for example, a mortgage or charge) over some or all of the debtor’s assets. Unsecured creditors have no security over the debtor’s assets. Unsecured creditors normally rank after secured creditors in the event of a bankruptcy. [...]  READ MORE →

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WILL DISPUTES IN NSW

WILL DISPUTES IN NSW – FAMILY PROVISION CLAIMS

 When a family member passes and you have been left out of the will or if you think that you have not been adequately provided for in the will, you could consider disputing the will by making a family provision claim. Making a family provision claim would enable an eligible family member to receive a greater share of the deceased’s estate. We are observing an increasing rise of will disputes and contested estates.  

Who is Eligible to make a Family Provision claim?

In New South Wales, section 57 of the Succession Act 2006 allows certain people to make a family provision claim, for provision from a deceased person’s estate. The categories of “eligible persons’’ include: [...]  READ MORE →

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How to stop your ex taking the children overseas – Family Law Lawyer reviews overseas travel issues

In the “post COVID-19 world”, international borders have opened back up and people are enjoying the ability to travel internationally again. For separated parents, this could cause concern. What if you do not want your ex partner to take your children overseas? What if they try to go without your permission? Our Family Law Lawyers are here to assist you if this is a concern to you.

Australian Federal Police Watch List

If you do not want your children to travel overseas without your permission, you could consider placing them on the Australian Federal Police Watch List. This is a system which has been designed to notify the police immediately when a child who’s name is on the list is attempting to exit Australia through an international airport or seaport. To place a child on the Watch List, you or your Family Law Lawyer need to do the following:- [...]  READ MORE →

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Are my digital assets a part of my estate?

Digital assets form part of your estate and are treated by the court as any other.

We live in an era where our digital footprint has come to reflect more of our identity than we realise. As technology continues to advance, it is important to account for digital assets in the process of estate planning.

What Are Digital Assets in Estate Planning?

Digital assets are often overlooked and can lead to loss of personal information and photographs that were unable to be retained through ‘digital inheritance’. To know whether it can be passed down in a Will, it must be transferable. Examples include[1]: [...]  READ MORE →

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Get out of (Liability) Gaol Free under section 447A

By Jacob Reardon a Solicitor of Matthews Folbigg, in our Insolvency, Restructuring and Debt Recovery Group.

Section 447A of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (“the Act”) enables the Court to make such orders as it thinks appropriate as to the operation of Part 5.3A of the Act. Since its introduction, the Courts have adopted an expansive construction of the provision and have liberally applied the power in a variety of contexts. Accordingly, the provision has become something of a panacea for multiple ills in the context of voluntary administration and has been used in various instances among others to: [...]  READ MORE →

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THE HYBRID COURT: SEPARATION LAWYER REVIEWS HOW FAMILY LAW CASES ARE MANAGED IN A POST-LOCKDOWN WORLD

In 2020, the Family Law Courts and Separation Lawyers were forced to completely shift their mode of operation from face-to-face hearings and paper files, to online hearings and electronic court files, all thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2 years later, in 2022, the Court’s methods have begun to shift into a more hybrid approach to the management of Family Law cases. Many court listings are still being conducted by way of Microsoft Teams, particularly when dealing with more administrative issues. Other court listings are now in-person before the court. The court file remains electronic, requiring parties to upload their court documents by way of the Court’s electronic file management system. [...]  READ MORE →

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Real Estate in Estate Planning

How is Real Estate dealt with in Estate Planning and Estate Administration?

Real estate, or Real Property is land (with or without improvements) owned by one or more persons and is an asset that must be considered when dealing with a deceased estate. There are three types of real estate ownership: sole ownership, joint tenants, or tenants in common.

Each type of ownership has a different impact on how a deceased estate must be handled and requires different estate planning approaches to ensure that your interest in the property is transferred in the manner you wish.

Sole Ownership
Sole ownership over a parcel of property is exactly how it sounds: a single person owns the entirety of a property. If you wish to gift the property to someone in your will, it is important that estate planning measures are taken to ensure that interest in the property is transferred to the preferred. If the transfer of interest is not specified in your Will, your property may be sold by the Executor and the proceeds form part of your estate. This could cause hardship to your relatives and loved ones if they are depending on receiving the property. [...]  READ MORE →

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New Health Orders and police powers for Apartment Buildings

COVID-19 Laws – New Health Orders and police powers for Apartment Buildings

On 6 September 2021, the Minister for Health and Medical Research introduced a new COVID-19 Health Order. The revised Order includes additional provisions to facilitate government lockdowns of specific apartments.
In short, the Order offers the Minister the power to declare a building as a “high COVID-19 risk premises”. This declaration can be made if at least one dwelling in the building is considered a COVID-19 risk premises and there is a risk of transmission of COVID-19 between the residents. The declarations will be made on the NSW Health website.
Unless the Minister revokes the declaration, a building will remain a high COVID-19 risk premises for 14 days. During this time residents must not leave their residence unless they are instructed to do so by an authorised medical practitioner or the police, or in the case of an emergency. [...]  READ MORE →

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Short-term letting restrictions and how they impact you

Short-term letting restrictions – PART 2

Short-term letting restrictions and how they impact you

We have previously written an article about the short term letting issues affecting property and strata participants back on 6 March 2021 (You can read it here). In short, it dealt with Part 1 of the legislative framework to regulate the short term letting situation. It involves the NSW Fair Trading’s mandatory code of conduct (which regulates the conduct of short term letting, presuming it is permissible) and the Strata Legislation (which allows the strata schemes to ban short term letting in lots that are not a principal place of residence of the owner or occupier). [...]  READ MORE →

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Can a non-family member initiate a Will dispute?

Not everyone can initiate a will dispute. A person intending to bring an action for a will dispute must meet the requirement of standing.

A person is considered to have standing where he or she has an interest in the estate of the deceased. A person who may satisfy the requirement of standing might include a person who was entitled to share in the estate under the valid will preceding the disputed will.

However, even where a person may be unable to dispute a will due to their lack of standing, they may be able to contest a will. [...]  READ MORE →

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I don’t have a Will: what are the consequences?

Without creating a Will or contacting an Estate Planning Lawyer to assist in creating a Will, your estate may be inherited by people you may not wish to benefit from your death. According to the Succession Act (2006) The hierarchy for relatives receiving the estate is as follows:

  • Spouse
  • Children of the deceased
  • Parents
  • Brothers and Sisters
  • Grandparents
  • Aunts and Uncles
  • First Cousins

This list is exhaustive and the estate will be provided and divided to the next available relative category. For example, if you don’t have a spouse or children, your estate will be divided amongst your parents, and if no surviving parents, your brothers and sisters equally, and so on. [...]  READ MORE →