Wills and Estates

Making a family provision claim in NSW against the estate of a parent you barely knew. Is the mere fact of paternity enough?

Making a family provision claim in NSW against the estate of a parent you barely knew. Is the mere fact of paternity enough? By Martin Pooley, Senior Associate   Even where a child was unaware of the existence of one of their parents for most, or all of their lives, and there is little or […]

Family Provision claims by former wives or husbands of a deceased person in NSW

Family Provision claims by former wives or husbands of a deceased person in NSW By Martin, Senior Associate Eligibility Former wives or husbands of a deceased person are eligible to apply for provision from the estate of their late former spouse pursuant to section 57(1)(d) of the Succession Act 2006.  The fact that they may […]

Family Provision Claims by Widows in NSW

Family Provision Claims by Widows in NSW By Martin Pooley, Senior Associate   Where a Court is considering whether to make a family provision order for a widow and what order, if any, ought to be made, the question for the court as set out in s59 of the Succession Act 2006 is whether the […]

Family Provision Claims by Adult Children in NSW

Family Provision Claims by Adult Children in NSW By Martin Pooley, Senior Associate   Even where an adult child is living an independent life and may own a home, has other assets, has the support of a spouse or partner, and is capable of meeting his or her day to day financial commitments, that financial […]

Disposing of your assets before your death will not always defeat claims against your estate

This paper addresses situations where a court in NSW has the power to look to assets outside of the deceased’s estate in order to be able to make a Family Provision order .

Video Will Admitted To Probate For First Time In NSW

In the recent case of Re Estate of Wai Fun Chan [2015] NSWSC 1107, decided on 7 August 2015, the NSW Supreme Court granted probate of a ‘video will’.

The 25 Million Dollar Question

What Does The Decision Of Mead V Lemon Mean For Future Family Provision Claims?

It is not often that an award of $25 million to an individual is referred to as merely a “rounding error”. However, Master Sanderson did just that when delivering his judgment in Mead -v- Lemon earlier this year. This Western Australian Supreme Court matter attracted considerable media interest due to the sums of money and the families that were involved, as the case gave the general public an insight into the immense wealth of the Wright-Hancock business partnership. As His Honour stated, “it is difficult for most people to comprehend such wealth.”