“Approaching each matter with empathy and compassion to guide our clients through what otherwise may be a difficult time”
SPG Lawyers has extensive experience in all areas of Wills and Estate and offers a complete range of services encompassing:-
- Estate Planning;
- Estate Administration; and
- Estate Dispute Resolution and Litigation.
Our Difference
Whilst some firms draft and administer simple Wills, they do so as an “add-on” to their main areas of practice. As a major firm on the Gold Coast over the last 40 years, our established in Wills and Estates team recognises the complexity of succession law and offers specialised advice in this multifaceted area.
From straightforward simple matters to the most complex, our team has significant experience in estate planning, trust advice, superannuation and succession planning services to a wide range of clients.
We also understand that estate matters are an inherently emotional and challenging time for our clients and pride ourselves on approaching each matter with empathy and compassion to guide our clients through what otherwise may be a difficult time.
Recent Experience
We are constantly involved in all types of Wills and Estate matters. Some of our recent projects have been:
- providing estate and succession planning advice to a client and trustee company with a combined net worth of $60 million;
- assisting an executor to administer a complex estate with numerous assets located in five different countries;
- applying for a Grant of Letters of Administration on behalf of a spouse where the deceased died without a Will and successfully applying to remove a caveat lodged in the Supreme Court of Queensland by the deceased’s estranged family members;
- applying for a Statutory Will to amend an incapacitated person’s Will;
- contesting an estate on behalf of a spouse where deceased had not updated his Will since separating from an ex-spouse;
- defending against an estate claim made by the deceased’s spouse and children;
- admitting an informal handwritten document made by the deceased to Probate.
Services we offer
Some of the services we offer in these areas include:
Estate Planning
- Preparing all types of Wills including testamentary trusts and Statutory Wills for incapacitated testators;
- Preparing Powers of attorney including general and enduring with specialist provisions;
- Advising on blended families and competing interest of beneficiaries;
- Implementing appropriate arrangements for superannuation entitlements including Binding Death Nominations;
- Providing strategies to reduce risk of challenges to Will/Estate;
- Structuring assets and advising on succession planning for entities including SMSFs, family businesses, companies and trusts to achieve desired outcome.
Estate Administration
- Advising executors or beneficiaries;
- Obtaining a Grant of Probate; Letters of Administration on Intestacy; Reseals;
- Administering small to complex estates and testamentary discretionary trusts including selling deceased property, advising on payment of debts, assisting with tax related issues and dealing with foreign assets and beneficiaries;
- Dealing with informal testamentary documents;
- Advising on matters where the deceased died without a Will (intestate) and determining priority of inheritance;
- Advising on maintaining the deceased’s business until it can be appropriately dealt with;
- Advising on missing or deceased beneficiaries and/or executors;
- Guardianship & Administration Applications.
Estate Challenges
- Claiming further provision from an estate (Family Provision Application);
- Defending against a Family Provision Application;
- Challenging the validity of testamentary documents (testamentary capacity and undue influence);
- Challenging the construction, execution and/or interpretation of a Will and other testamentary documents;
- Challenging distribution of an estate where incorrectly administered and/or applying for estate accounting;
- Lodging or removing caveats in contested proceedings;
- Superannuation challenges and disputes;
- Removal of executor applications;
- Enforcing testamentary contracts;
- QCAT proceedings in relation to powers of attorney and incapacity.
DID YOU KNOW: If you die without a Will, the law decides how your hard earned assets are to be distributed and who is going to distribute them – perhaps to family members you haven’t even met or wish you never did.
