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Wills and Estates Lawyers Melbourne

Wills and Estates Lawyers Melbourne

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Do you have your affairs in order? We’d be happy to talk to you and offer timely, cost-effective solutions.
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Succession Planning
Deceased Estates
Powers of Attorney
Estate Planning

Do you have your affairs in order?

Organising a Will is one of those tasks that we often postpone. However, it is an extremely important legal document that should be prioritised. Your Will allows you to control where and how your valuable assets are distributed when you pass away, and it can be customised to include and protect a range of assets, including property, shares, insurance policies, investments, bank accounts, and all personal items such as clothing, jewellery, furniture and photographs.

If you fail to organise your Will before you die, the laws of intestacy will determine how your property is to be distributed to your partner, children or other relatives. The application of these laws may mean that your assets are not distributed in line with your wishes. Furthermore, if your Will is not correctly prepared, it may be contested or classed as invalid, which could also result in an undesirable outcome. Seeking advice from a wills and estates lawyer helps avoid these risks.

Why Choose Sanicki Lawyers?

It is extremely important for you to seek legal advice in order to get this process right. At Sanicki Lawyers, we understand the complexities of wills and estate planning. Our team, including an experienced wills and estates lawyer in Melbourne, has specialised skills in minimising the risk of contest for our clients and understands the importance of ensuring your Will is drafted correctly.

On the other hand, we are also able to help you determine whether you have grounds to contest a Will. Our lawyers also assist with related matters such as probate and estate administration, where an experienced probate lawyer or a deceased estate lawyer can provide guidance.

Contact us today

If you would like to find out more about the services of our Melbourne-based Wills & Estates lawyers, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. One of the many things that sets us apart from other law firms is our commitment to understanding the intricacies of our client’s concerns, so we’d be happy to talk to you and offer a timely, cost-effective solution.

Testimonials

Couldn’t have had a better experience. These guys are warm and efficient. Best!

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— Harry F

Chelsea, Darren and the broader team at Sanicki Lawyers are an integral part of our business… It’s a bonus that they’re incredible to work with. We can’t recommend them highly enough – and wouldn’t trust anyone else with our contracts or business requirements

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— Giorgio M

I engaged Terence and Grace after I was defrauded a significant sum of money. Being a victim of cyber fraud is extremely stressful and confronting. Thanks to them I felt an instant sense of relief when they took on my case and achieved a successful outcome within a short period of time. Terence and Grace were extremely knowledgeable in their case law and knew the strategic steps to take, to help me recover both my lost funds and interest. I can’t thank them enough for their professionalism and empathy they displayed to me, to achieve this extraordinary result. I am eternally grateful.

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— George S

The Sanicki Lawyers team make you feel so welcome, and explain fully costs and processes. It’s so comforting to be able to approach these guys and feel confident with what they do.

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— Gina C

Exceptional service from Sanicki Lawyers. I would never hesitate to recommend the team, and will certainly use their firm again for my business.

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— Julia N

I couldn’t be more impressed with the exceptional service provided. The quality of work was outstanding, and any amendments I requested were handled with professionalism and efficiency. Communication was seamless—emails were always responded to promptly, which made the whole process smooth and stress-free. I engaged them for commercial legal matters, and both Chelsea and Natasha delivered beyond expectations. Highly recommended!

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— James T

Sanicki Lawyers have been incredible to work with. They’re professional, approachable, and really know their stuff. The team made everything easy to understand and were always quick to respond. You can tell they genuinely care about their clients. Highly recommend them for anyone needing solid legal support.

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— Brandon W

As the Group Commercial Manager for the Salvation Army Australia, I have used Sanicki Lawyers to assist me with commercial contracts and have found their advice, highly professional, commercially astute and legally sound.  I have no hesitation in recommending them to assist you in any commercial transaction.

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— Robert J

By having a Sanicki lawyer involved I feel peace of mind knowing the deal has every chance of coming to fruition. I can honestly say that Darren, along with his wonderful team, have saved deals for me on several occasions. Sanicki’s end to end service makes my business life much less stressful.

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— Steve P

Darren has an excellent team of friendly and accessible people who are both efficient and practical. I trust Darren and his team to deliver for my clients at the most crucial stage of their transaction.

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— Ian A

Work with skilful Wills & Estate lawyers in Melbourne

If you think you need to contest or draft a Will, get in contact with us sooner rather than later for a friendly and professional consultation. See for yourself why we’re considered one of the leading Wills & Estate firms in Melbourne. With years of practice in Wills & Estate planning, our lawyers in Melbourne can assist you with:

Drafting a Will

Estate planning

Asset Protection

Estate Litigation

Contesting a Will

Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQs)

Estate planning, including during life and after life, is essential to the short term and long-term goal of your family. In a nutshell, estate planning is the legal process of documenting and structuring matters relating to your financial affairs.
A Will deals with your estate after death and is administered by an executor. An Enduring Power of Attorney concerns the administration of your financial and personal affairs by an attorney when you are no longer capable of doing so.
Many people appoint a close relative or trusted friend to perform these functions and is often meant as a mark of respect and trust in their abilities. The decision to appoint should not be taken lightly. It should be someone you not only trust but someone you believe is well equipped to who can make sensible and wise decisions concerning your financial affairs.
We recommend that you review your Will annually in order to satisfy yourself whether any changes need to be made. That said, certain events require the making of a new Will such as marriage, divorce and separation. Remember, when you make a Will, you do so for today’s circumstances. You shouldn’t attempt to predict what might be the case in years to come. As and when the need arises, you should/can simply do a new Will.
If you die without a Will, you will be said to have died ‘intestate’. If this occurs, your assets will be distributed according to the Victorian Administration and Probate Act 1958. This will of course be totally outside your control and may mean that your assets do not end up being distributed in the way that you would otherwise have liked.
It is possible that even with the most careful planning, someone may wish to challenge your Will. For example, it could be a child of yours that has either been excluded from your Will or alternatively believes that his share in your estate is insufficient. Even if there was a valid reason for your decision making, you cannot prevent such child from making a claim for an additional share of given estate. However, it is possible to have inserted in your Will a clause which goes to dissuade such a claim being made.
Alternatively, a Will can be set aside if a Court were to find that you were not of sound mind at the time you made your Will. This usually comes into play when the Will is made at the time you may be in aged care or hospital, and legitimate questions arise as to your competency. In these circumstances, it is prudent to obtain a contemporaneous report from your treating medical practitioner affirming your sound mind and legal capacity to make a Will.
An Enduring Power of Attorney deals with all financial and personal matters other than medical treatment. To cover this situation, you need a document known as an Appointment of Medical Treatment Decision Maker. In this case, the appointed person is empowered to make decisions concerning your medical treatment when you are no longer capable of doing so. Such an appointed person will usually be your spouse, a sibling or a trusted friend.
If so, please get in touch with us so that we can guide you along the way and keep the whole process as simple and straightforward as possible.

Get in touch with one of our Wills & Estates lawyers today!