Estate Planning & Wills

Estate Planning & Wills

At Grasso Searles Romano Lawyers we understand that dealing with a deceased estate is one of the more difficult challenges in life. From mountains of paper work to legal jargon and simmering family disputes, they’re the last things you want to deal with when you’re grieving the loss of someone important in your life.

So, let us help you by:

• Interpreting the Will of the deceased in terms of estate laws
• Advising executors and trustees in regard to their duties and rights
• Informing government bodies including Centrelink and Veterans Affairs
• Applying for Probate of the Will in the Supreme Court
• Dealing with intestacy (where there is no Will)
• Applying for Letters of Administration (if the Will is deemed invalid or is absent)
• Identifying estate assets and liabilities
• Obtaining valuations of estate property
• Collecting estate financial assets including superannuation, bank funds, shares, outstanding loans, and insurance payouts
• Selling or transferring estate property including estate auctions
• Paying estate debts including mortgages, funeral costs, and testamentary expenses
• Advising in regard to family and testamentary trusts
• Administering trust funds
• Distributing bequests and inheritances to beneficiaries
• Organising information for estate tax returns
• Family mediation and negotiation
• Contesting wills and defending estate litigation in the Supreme Court

Grasso Searles Romano Lawyers can help with the three types of documents used in Queensland to appoint others to make certain decisions on your behalf:

• General Power of Attorney
• Enduring Power of Attorney
• Advance Health Directive

A general power of attorney is a legal document gives one or more people you nominate specific authority to make financial decisions on your behalf. This power to make decisions for you stops if you lose the capacity to manage your own affairs. This kind of power of attorney is most often used for commercial transactions.

An enduring power of attorney continues in the event that you can’t manage your affairs and covers both financial and personal or health decisions. If you have an accident or illness and can’t make decisions for yourself, the enduring power of attorney gives decision making power to the person you’ve nominated, so it’s a very important document for everyone, young and old alike. The kinds of decisions your attorney can make include:-

• Financial attorney: paying bills, dealing with Centrelink, taxation, investments, legal matters and property management
• Personal/health attorney: your loving arrangements, your health care, your diet and dress.

Contact us to arrange a consultation with one of our experienced and dedicated lawyers.