Wills & Estates · Canberra
20 estate planning & testamentary trusts firms in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, including Canberra City, Belconnen, Woden, Tuggeranong.
20 firms
Dickson, ACT · Canberra
NatLaw provides legal services in Dickson, ACT. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Business & Commercial Law.
For families with significant assets, blended families or business interests, an estate plan goes beyond a simple will. Testamentary trusts can offer tax benefits and asset protection for beneficiaries. Planning also covers super, insurance, family trusts and company control.
Good estate planning protects beneficiaries, reduces tax and keeps family businesses and farms running through a transition.
Testamentary trusts can allow income to be distributed to minors at adult tax rates under Australian tax law. Planning also covers family trusts, company control and binding super nominations, which pass outside the will.
Understand the next step
Explain what you want the plan to achieve, including family needs and business interests. A more complex structure should be justified by its purpose and ongoing administration, not chosen merely because it is available.
Clarify whether tax and financial advice are included or must be obtained separately before implementing the plan.
A Canberra address does not automatically mean ACT law is the only law involved. Commonwealth decisions, workplace matters and transactions involving nearby NSW can require different experience and procedures.
For estate planning & testamentary trusts, ask which parts of the work the firm handles itself and whether it has relevant ACT experience. Let the lawyer know if a property, employer, other party or existing proceeding is outside Canberra. Your home address alone does not determine the applicable process.
List family members, property, debts, companies, trusts and superannuation. Identify where original documents are held and which assets are jointly owned.
Ask what each document or application would achieve. Confirm which state rules and asset-ownership arrangements need to be considered.
Agree on signing, storage and future reviews, or on the executor’s responsibilities for records and distributions. Identify changes that should prompt further advice.
Compare a simple-will quote with more involved planning or estate administration. Ask about searches, applications, valuations and coordination with an accountant.
Ask for a written scope identifying the work you are authorising, the person responsible and when costs will be reviewed. If you only want advice on one step, say so before the firm begins wider work.
Provide the date of death and any estate correspondence promptly. Ask about relevant deadlines before distributing assets, signing a release or assuming a dispute can wait.
In the ACT, the Magistrates Court and Supreme Court share the caseload without an intermediate court. Tenancy, discrimination, planning and guardianship disputes go to ACAT. Canberra also hosts many federal bodies, so public law and Commonwealth employment matters are common. The ACT Law Society regulates practitioners and handles complaints.
Good to know
A trust created by your will that takes effect on your death. It can protect beneficiaries and offer tax advantages for distributions to children.
Most matters start in the Magistrates Court. More serious cases go to the Supreme Court of the ACT. Family law matters are heard by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
Practising certificates in Australian Capital Territory are managed by the ACT Law Society. You can check a solicitor's status on its public register or by contacting it directly.
Mitchell, ACT · Canberra
WMG Legal provides legal services in Mitchell, ACT. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Immigration & Visas.
Phillip, ACT · Canberra
Dickson Legal Barker Trevor,LLB provides legal services in Phillip, ACT. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Family Law and Business & Commercial Law.
Turner, ACT · Canberra
Tetlow Legal provides legal services in Turner, ACT. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Wills & Estates.
Canberra, ACT · Canberra
Artisan Legal provides legal services in Canberra, ACT. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Family Law and Property & Conveyancing.
Phillip, ACT · Canberra
Bedfords Legal provides legal services in Phillip, ACT. Listed practice areas include Business & Commercial Law, Property & Conveyancing and Wills & Estates.
Canberra, ACT · Canberra
GPG Lawyers provides legal services in Canberra, ACT. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Family Law.
Canberra, ACT · Canberra
Barker & Barker provides conveyancing services in Canberra, ACT. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Family Law.
Forde, ACT · Canberra
Boland Legal provides legal services in Forde, ACT. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Powers of Attorney & Guardianship.
Phillip, ACT · Canberra
National Business Lawyers provides legal services in Phillip, ACT. Listed practice areas include Business & Commercial Law, Property & Conveyancing and Notary Public & JP Services.
Satsias Andrew provides conveyancing services in Gungahlin, ACT. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Strata & Body Corporate and Planning & Environment.
Satsias Andrew provides conveyancing services in Belconnen, ACT. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Strata & Body Corporate and Planning & Environment.
Canberra, ACT · Canberra
McPherson Christina provides legal services in Canberra, ACT. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Wills & Estates.
Batterham & Co provides legal services in Griffith, ACT. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Wills & Estates.
Satsias Andrew provides conveyancing services in Griffith, ACT. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Strata & Body Corporate and Planning & Environment.
Ozpropertylaw Pty Ltd provides legal services in NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Strata & Body Corporate and Planning & Environment.
Satsias Andrew provides conveyancing services in Dickson, ACT. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Strata & Body Corporate and Planning & Environment.
Gil-Jones Barker provides legal services in Turner, ACT. Listed practice areas include Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Wills & Estates and Business & Commercial Law.
Palmerston, ACT · Canberra
City First Solicitors provides legal services in Palmerston, ACT. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Strata & Body Corporate and Planning & Environment.
Yarralumla, NSW · Canberra
Lexicon Lawyers provides legal services in Yarralumla, NSW. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Property & Conveyancing and Estate Planning & Testamentary Trusts.
Directory guidance updated 19 September 2026. General information to help you prepare for a conversation with a professional; not advice about your individual matter. Check current requirements with the relevant authority.