Estate Planning

An important aspect of your life which covers everything from Wills, Powers of Attorney and Enduring Guardianships to Binding Death Nominations, Advanced Health Care Directives and Family Trusts. You can visit one of our offices for a free consultation or we can provide a mobile service to anywhere on the Northern Beaches, North Sydney, Parramatta, Penrith and Blue Mountains areas.

Wills

This is a legal document that gives you the power to appoint an Executor to look after your assets after your death. It directs how to distribute your assets and how to take care of any liabilities that you may have. It can also set out who will look after any children that may be of minor age and set up trusts for those children. It can even give burial instructions. We can help you prepare a Will to suit your individual circumstances.

Enduring Power of Attorney

This is a legal document that gives you the power to appoint a person to look after your financial circumstances. It can allow your attorney to access your bank accounts to pay your bills, deal with Aged Care facilities, Medicare and other government institutions. It could also allow your attorney to sell or purchase real estate and shares and execute legal documents. We can help you tailor the document to your individual needs.

Enduring Guardianship

This is a legal document that allows you to appoint a Guardian to take care of your health and lifestyle for you, but only when you have lost the capacity to make those decisions for yourself. Your Guardian can make decisions regarding where you live, what health care services you receive and it will continue to have effect until you die or until the appointment is revoked. We can help you decide who to appoint as your Guardian.

Fixed Fee Pricing and Packages Available

Estate planning gives you the power to appoint the person or persons who you trust to look after your affairs during your lifetime and after your death. It doesn’t need to be complex. It can be a very simple process. We can advise you on the documents that will protect your interests during your lifetime including:

General or Enduring Power of Attorney
Enduring Guardianship
Advance Health Care Directive
Superannuation Binding Death Benefit Nomination

A general power of attorney for example is used if you be unable to attend to your financial matters due to health issues, hospitalisation or an overseas trip. We can advise you on how to best structure your Will including:

who receives your assets and in what proportion
who has guardianship of children
how to set up testamentary trusts
life estates and rights to reside
any burial instructions

We can advise you on appointing Executors and Trustees and on providing for family members with disabilities or young children. We can also advise you on how to provide for a later spouse and children from an earlier marriage or relationship. We can also advise you on how to deal with your superannuation benefits on your death. Superannuation is not an asset unless it is paid to your Estate and specific instructions need to be given to the Trustees of the Superannuation Fund. If you already have Estate Planning documents in place, we are happy to review them for you to ensure that they do not require any changes due to relationship and marriage breakdown or the birth of a child. Court Legal are experienced Estate Planning lawyers and we can demystify and explain to you all aspects of the documents you need. We understand that it may be daunting or difficult for you to discuss these matters with strangers. At Court Legal we pride ourselves on being compassionate and dealing with these matters in a professional and caring manner. Let us put your mind at ease.