SOME OF OUR RECENT SUCCESSES

We have successfully acted in the following matters:-

1. Children find father’s Will gave the estate to a volunteer worker

The will-maker was a father who had two children who lived overseas. The children had copies of their father’s Will, which showed that they would share the estate equally. They returned to Australia to visit their father whenever circumstances and their finances permitted. When the father passed away the children came back to Australia for the funeral and discovered that a new Will had been made leaving the bulk of the estate to the volunteer worker who delivered meals to their father.

2. A will-maker misunderstands trusts and mistakenly leaves children with shares that are worthless

The will-maker was a man with two adult children from his first marriage and no children from his second marriage. He had a successful business with a complex corporate structure including two family trusts. The will-maker made it known that when he died his second wife would be looked after, but his children would get the bulk of the estate. However, after he died it became clear that he had not understood his corporate structure, or the function of the trusts, so that the Will effectively left everything of value to the new wife and the children’s share was valueless.

3. A will-maker leaves entire estate to second wife despite having good relationship with children from first marriage

The will-maker was a divorcee with children from his first marriage. He remarried and at the time of his death had a good relationship with all of his children and with his new wife. After his death it was discovered that the will-maker’s Will left his whole estate to his second wife and nothing to his children.

4. Parents leave estate to wealthy best friends instead of their only daughter, because they did not approve of her husband

A husband and wife had an only daughter. The daughter married a man who the parents regarded as being beneath them. They refused to attend the wedding and refused to communicate with the daughter unless she left her husband. The daughter tried for many years to makeup with her parents, but she was not prepared to leave her husband, with whom she remained in a loving marriage. When the parents died their whole estate was left to their best friends who were independently wealthy. The Will did not include any gifts to the daughter.

5. Otherwise sane will-maker forms mistaken view that her daughters had stolen all her money and therefore leaves no part of the estate to the daughters

The Will maker was a widow with two daughters. She did not have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. She was not senile however for some unknown reason she formed the view that her daughters had stolen all of her money. In all other respects the medical experts believed she was of sound mind. She told her friends and her doctor that her daughters had stolen all of her money. The Will left no part of the estate to the daughters.

6. Will-maker includes condition in Will that son will not get entitlement until he turns 65

The will-maker was a widow who had a son and a daughter, The son had been married and divorced, and had been in a couple of de facto relationships. The Will divided the estate equally between the son and daughter, however there was a condition in the Will that meant that the son would not get his entitlement until he turned 65 years of age.

We have had experience successfully protecting beneficiaries’ interests over many years. You should call us without delay if you have any question as to whether a Will is suspect or if you feel your inheritance is unfair.