Our people are sensitive to your needs and your specific circumstances.
A professionally prepared will and related documents can help your family avoid the trauma and cost of litigation, at an emotional time following the death of a loved one.
Over the 40-year history of Dimos Lawyers, we have drafted thousands of wills and powers of attorney. Drawing upon this wealth of experience, we can help ensure that all your intentions, whether straightforward or complex, will be carried out.
Our people are sensitive to your needs and listen with care before advising you on your specific circumstances.
Estate planning
Estate planning is more than just preparing a will. You need to look at your overall circumstances and consider how you would like to:
- Protect the interests of family members with special needs
- Keep assets protected against threats from creditors
- Deal with any family law claims
- Respond to possible litigation from those seeking a bigger share of your estate
We can advise you on transferring assets to beneficiaries in a manner that is tax effective, protects family wealth and ensures that wasteful and traumatic estate litigation is avoided.
Estate planning services
Dimos lawyers can help you:
- Write a simple or a complex will
- Establish or manage a testamentary trust
- Draw up a medical treatment power of attorney, financial power of attorney or enduring power of attorney
- Make nominations for superannuation death benefits
- Draft deeds of family arrangements and family constitutions
- Apply for guardianship for incapacitated individuals
Estate planning experience
Our extensive experience in this area of law includes:
- Reviewing and drafting complex wills, taking into account family relationship issues, competing claims, complex corporate structures, self-managed superannuation funds and life insurance policies
- Reviewing complex family trust structures, including varying the appointees and beneficiaries in accordance with your estate planning intentions
- Drafting and advising on deeds of family arrangements and family constitutions, setting out how the family will make decisions affecting ownership and management of family businesses
- Advising on asset and inheritance protection, including the establishment of testamentary discretionary trusts
- Advising on issues facing elderly clients:
- Retirement homes (such as converting an asset in order to raise a deposit bond)
- Property
- Estate planning
- Wills
- Superannuation
- Pension arrangements
- Applying to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to appoint a guardian for an incapacitated person
- Defending and disputing appointment of guardians at VCAT
