Economists are predicting Australia is about to enter a recession.  If this happens, many of us may find ourselves struggling to pay the mortgage. Although each lender has a hardship team that may be able to relieve some of the pressure (i.e. by deferring or reducing payments), it is inevitable that for some, keeping the […]

Today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, and on Sunday the Federal Government announced the launch of a new ‘Serious Incident Response Scheme’ (SIRS). SIRS imposes new rules upon residential aged care facilities with the goal of better protecting our vulnerable elderly population. The scheme is a welcome addition to the elder law landscape and […]

Recent studies consistently tell us that around half of the adult Australian population does not have a Will, and it is certainly our experience that it usually takes a major event, like the start or end of a relationship, serious illness, or the arrival of children, for most people to really stop and think about […]

We’ve said it before, and we will say it again – a properly drafted Will is absolutely essential to spare your loved ones the heartache, stress, and disappointment that is so often attached to intestate estates. Although many clients tell us they’ve been considering preparing a Will for a long time, but just haven’t gotten […]

It has been a great relief to us during these uncertain times that with aid of technology, we have been able to continue to assist our clients while respecting social distancing. This is particularly the case in our estate planning work, where we have seen a significant rise in enquiries as the spread of Covid-19 […]

COVID-19 has affected just about every aspect of our lives and how we do things – but even though all of this, it’s important to remember the Courts are still operating and the wheels of justice continue to turn. The High Court has announced that tomorrow at 10am EST (8am here in WA) it will […]

Kirk Douglas, most famous for his on-screen roles in legendary films including Spartacus was also well known for his philanthropy. That generosity is on full display following Douglas’ death last month, with recent media reports indicating that he has left the lion share of his US$61 million (AU$92m) fortune to various charities, part to his […]

It’s Seniors’ Week, and while we celebrate the older members of our community and their valuable contribution to society we must also cast our minds to the areas in which our seniors are particularly vulnerable. Earlier this year, it was reported that calls to Advocare’s WA Elder Abuse Help Line in the 2018-19 financial year […]

Cardinal George Pell has featured heavily in worldwide news – the latest is that Tuesday last week, Pell’s legal team lodged an application for special leave to appeal to the High Court of Australia against his child sex abuse convictions. We have been asked what exactly is ‘’special leave’’ anyway? And how do appeals actually […]

The battle over the $1.8 million estate of Cecilia Haddad, who died in tragic circumstances earlier this year, took a turn today with Cecilia’s father conceding that she remained married to her estranged husband at the time of her death. Even though both property proceedings and divorce proceedings had been started in the Family Court […]