Our Estate Planning and Probate Division has the skills and professional know-how to best meet your estate planning needs.

Estate Planning

Advice regarding estate planning is essential to ensure that your estate passes effectively to those persons you wish to benefit and in the most efficient and tax effective way possible.  Our team at Warren McKeon Dickson can assist you to prepare a will to give full effect to your wishes.  The right advice will ensure that fees, charges and taxes on your estate are minimised, as are the prospects of a successful challenge to your estate.

We can assist you with testamentary trusts to minimise the prospects of successful claims against your estate as well as to protect your assets for your beneficiaries from any family law claims and assist your beneficiaries with tax minimisation strategies.

Powers of Attorney and Enduring Guardianships

We can advise you and assist you to appoint an attorney to manage your financial affairs where you are personally unable to do so because of sickness, mental incapacity or absence. We can also advise you in relation to the appointment of an enduring guardian to make health and lifestyle decisions for you in circumstances where you are unable to make those decisions for yourself.  There are many options to consider in making an appointment to balance the protection of your assets with the granting of sufficient powers to enable the support needed.

Applications to Guardianship Tribunal

We have experience in the preparation of and defence of applications to the Guardianship Tribunal and have appeared in the Tribunal with leave.  We are able to take action to seek to overturn the appointment of a guardian where an appointment has been inappropriately made or where the conduct of an appointed attorney is contrary to the interests of the grantor or otherwise illegal.

Probate and Letters of Administration

The administration of a deceased estate is the process of getting in and distributing the assets of a deceased person in accordance with his or her will.  Whether a person dies leaving a will or without a will (intestate), our team at Warren McKeon Dickson can assist and advise the executor or administrator of the estate in relation to his or her role or responsibilities and the most efficient ways to administer the estate and obtaining a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration.

Claims on estates

Warren McKeon Dickson specialises in claims under the Succession Act (formerly the Family Provision Act) and the defence of such claims.  Certain classes of people are eligible to make a claim against a deceased's estate if they feel they have not received adequate provision in that person's will. We have experience in acting for estates in defending claims and alternatively, acting for claimants to ensure they receive a proper provision from an estate.

If you would like further information on how we can assist you with estate planning, probate, estate administration or claims on estates, please call us on (02) 9525 8688 to obtain FREE preliminary advice and discuss your specific needs.