Experienced Estate Administration Lawyers in Melbourne & across regional Victoria
Legal fees doen’t have to appear as complex as administering an estate can be. We will tailor a fixed price to suit your actual needs.
Estate Administration
After obtaining a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration, the estate must be administered. Being an executor or administrator can be a difficult and overwhelming job. You can, however, seek advice and assistance.Â
As the executor, you will be responsible for a wide range of tasks in order to fulfil the terms of the Will. You must also ensure that the estate’s legal affairs are in order, particularly when it comes to taxation. As part of the estate administration, you will be responsible for tasks such as:
- Identifying and valuing all estate assets
- Taking care of debt repayment
- Organising and funding the funeral
- Obtaining the death certificate
- Paying bills, arranging insurance, collaborating with banks, redirecting mail, and closing accounts and services
- Notifying beneficiaries
- Tax return preparationÂ
- Trust management
- Managing business and investments
A little more about our Estate Administration Services
Distribution of the estate should take place only after all debts, including any taxes, have been paid and six months have passed since the grant of Probate or Letters of Administration. The six-month wait is necessary because this is the time frame in which someone can file an application in the Supreme Court to contest the estate and challenge the Will. If you distribute the estate before this time period and it is negotiated or ordered that the distribution be different from what you have already done, you may face serious problems. If you are unable to call in previous distributions, you will most likely be held personally liable and may be required to pay from your own funds.
This is the time where the assets of the Estate are dealt with in accordance with the deceased’s instructions left in their Will. Assets change from person to person and the processes to call in each asset can also be different. We can take care of this process for you, saving you time while you can focus on your loved ones and moving forward with your life.
Like many other tasks, administering the estate does not require a Lawyer however using a Lawyer can save you time and unnecessary stress so you can spend more time with your loved ones. Lawyers deal with administering estates daily and are trained to understand what needs to be done to ‘call in’ all the various different types of assets that you otherwise may have to fumble through.
Things to Consider
Here at Stratus Legal Group we understand that dealing with a deceased estate can be daunting and stressful, all the while you are still dealing with your grief. We aim to ensure you understand the next steps throughout the process and are always on hand to answer any question you may have.
Providing everything that comes to mind is really important from the very start. Learning extra details from clients down the track can have a vast impact on the outcome of your matter which it is important to be open and honest with us.
For Contesting Estates we offer ‘No Win, No Fee’ where you only pay our legal fees if your matter is successful. For Probate it is common that we offer payment at ‘End of Matter’ where payment is not due until the completion day.
Our team are available through a variety of alternative methods including video calls (such as via Zoom and Microsoft Teams), face-to-face throughout Metropolitan Melbourne and Regional Victoria, telephone and email. If you prefer sending letters through Australia Post, don’t worry we can do that too. Whatever your choice of communication, our team will always do their best to keep in touch as regularly as possible, including returning calls, emails and letters.
What Our Clients Say
Read what some of our past clients have to say. The ethics and reputation of each one of our lawyers, precedes them individually and us as a firm.