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Wills and Estate Planning

WILLS AND ESTATE PLANNING

    Click here to start your will online

    INDIVIDUALS

    Packages for individuals starting from:

    $490incl GST + disbursements
    • Everyone is different, we customise our packages depending on your needs.

    COUPLES

    Packages for couples starting from:

    $780incl GST + disbursements
    • Everyone is different, we customise our packages depending on your needs.

    Estate Planning

    Winner bade for Advocate Lawyers Winner Best Family and Estate Law Firm Tasmania 2023Estate planning is not just about Wills, it’s about planning for when things happen in life. While a Will is an important document, you should also consider planning for a time in your life when you might need to rely on others to make decisions for you.

    We can provide help and advice with the following:

    Everyone is different, we customise our packages depending on your needs, click here to find out about our fees.

    Thinking about what will happen after you pass away is daunting but incredibly important.

    A Will doesn’t have to cost the earth or be complicated but there are strict requirements for making a valid Will in Australia. This is why it is important to talk to a lawyer about your Will.

    A properly drafted Will should take into account your financial position, the type of assets you hold, the location of your assets, any children you have and the type of relationship you are in (de facto or married).

    If you die without a Will, your assets are automatically distributed in line with the Intestacy Act 2010 (Tas) without any consideration of what you would have wanted. It is also possible that an agency such as the Public Trustee would be appointed as the administrator of your estate/assets. In that situation, the administrator would charge professional fees for organising the sale of your assets which ultimately reduces the amount that your family will be paid.

    Advocate Lawyers have fixed fee options for simple Wills. Call us for an initial discussion with a lawyer about your Will.

    An Enduring Power of Attorney is a document that nominates a person or organisation to make financial decisions if you are temporarily or permanently incapacitated. If a doctor provides a medical certificate stating that you have lost the capacity to make your own decisions then your nominated attorney can step in to make them for you.

    Powers of Attorney are also useful when you know you will be unavailable to sign important documents for a period of time. For example, if you are buying a house but will be interstate or overseas for a few weeks and unavailable to sign important documents then you might want to nominate a family member to sign for you.

    In Tasmania, a Power of Attorney must be registered to be relied upon and we ensure that this is taken care of so that you can have peace of mind no matter what the future holds.

    If you are looking to manage a loved one’s finances but they have already lost capacity and can’t sign a Power of Attorney, we can help you apply to the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) to be appointed as their attorney.

    Advocate Lawyers also have fixed-price packages which include Power of Attorney documents. Call us for an obligation-free discussion.

    An Enduring Guardianship document allows you to appoint guardian/s to make health or lifestyle decisions for you if you are unable to make them yourself. A guardian may make decisions on what medical treatment you receive or what doctors you see and how often.

    If you need to make decisions for someone who has already lost capacity but has not nominated a guardian then we can help you apply to Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) to be appointed as their guardian.

    An appointment of enduring guardian must be registered to be relied upon and we ensure that this is taken care of.

    Advocate Lawyers also have fixed-price packages which include enduring guardianship documents. Call us for an obligation-free discussion.

    Many people are surprised to find out that their Will doesn’t automatically include their superannuation. Superannuation is handled separately to your Will and you need to nominate a beneficiary with your super fund who will receive your superannuation after you die.

    There are different types of nominations. A Binding Death Benefit Nomination is different to a nomination you may have made through your online account which may not be binding. Without a binding nomination, your super fund may decide who gets your superannuation.

    There are also laws governing who can receive your superannuation. You can only nominate your spouse/de facto partner, your children, financial dependents or the legal representative of your estate. Some nominations have tax consequences and you may want to seek financial advice on this before completing your nomination.

    Estate Planning Fees

    Everyone is different, we customise our packages depending on your needs. Call us now for an initial consultation with a lawyer, or click here to get started. 

    Our fixed-price packages start from:

    • Will for single person
    starting from $490
    • Wills for a couple
    starting from $780

    Please note: We offer off-site visits where you require us to come to you at home, a retirement village or hospital. Please call us on 03 6204 9000 for a quote.

    NB All fees are inclusive of GST but exclusive of registration fees. Registration is required for Powers of Attorney (charged at $169.23 by the Land Titles Office) and/or Enduring Guardianships (charged at $80.10 by TASCAT).

    Getting started with Estate Planning

    The process for getting your will drafted is generally as follows:

    1. Provide us with your informationThe easiest way to start is to complete our online intake form HERE or if you would prefer a hard copy, contact our office on 03 62049000 and we can post a copy to you. Once received, we have all of the information needed to jump straight into discussing your circumstances during our initial conference.

    2. Initial Phone DiscussionOnce we receive your intake form, your matter is assigned to one of our lawyers who will contact you to discuss your instructions. Our first discussion is usually by phone but if you wish to make an appointment to come to our office we are more than happy to see you.

    3. We create a draftYour lawyer will create an initial draft of your Will and send it to you via email or post so that you can read through it. We will usually also provide you with a letter of advice to make sure we’re all on the same page.

    4. We take you through the draftYour lawyer will call you to discuss your draft Will and clarify anything you are unsure of. If there are no further major amendments then we will make an appointment to meet and sign your will.

    5. We meet and sign your documentWe meet face to face so that you can ask any final questions you might have. We then finalise and sign all of your estate documents.

    6. Storage and Registration – Copies are made of your original documents and your original Will is scanned and placed in our safe custody. Any power of attorney or enduring guardianship documents are registered and superannuation nominations are sent to your fund.