Wills & Estates · Northern Rivers
18 estate planning & testamentary trusts firms in Northern Rivers, New South Wales, including Lismore, Ballina, Byron Bay, Tweed Heads.
18 firms
Tweed Heads, NSW · Northern Rivers
Geoff Williams and Associates provides legal services in Tweed Heads, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Planning & Environment.
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.
For matters involving Tweed Heads and Queensland, ask about cross-border experience. A nearby office is not enough to establish whether a lawyer can advise on property, proceedings or a business on the other side of the border.
For estate planning & testamentary trusts, ask which parts of the work the firm handles itself and whether it has relevant NSW experience. Let the lawyer know if a property, employer, other party or existing proceeding is outside Northern Rivers. 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 New South Wales, most criminal and minor civil matters start in the Local Court, with more serious matters in the District Court and Supreme Court. Tenancy, strata, consumer and guardianship disputes usually go to NCAT. Solicitors are licensed by the Law Society of New South Wales, and complaints about lawyers go to the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner.
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 Local Court. More serious cases go to the District Court or the Supreme Court of NSW. Family law matters are heard by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
Practising certificates in New South Wales are managed by the Law Society of New South Wales. You can check a solicitor's status on its public register or by contacting it directly.
Banora Point, NSW · Northern Rivers
Border Conveyancing Services provides conveyancing services in Banora Point, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Business & Commercial Law.
Grafton, NSW · Northern Rivers
Gallagher Solicitors & Conveyancers provides legal services in Grafton, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Planning & Environment.
Lennox Head, NSW · Northern Rivers
Salt & Stone Lawyers provides legal services in Lennox Head, NSW. Listed practice areas include Business & Commercial Law, Wills & Estates and Property & Conveyancing.
Lennox Head, NSW · Northern Rivers
Mulcahy Lawyers & Conveyancers provides conveyancing services in Lennox Head, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Workers Compensation and Wills & Estates.
Lismore, NSW · Northern Rivers
David Hunter Solicitor provides legal services in Lismore, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Family Law.
Grafton, NSW · Northern Rivers
Beneke Legal Pty Ltd provides legal services in Grafton, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Property & Conveyancing.
Tweed Heads, NSW · Northern Rivers
MPB Lawyers provides legal services in Tweed Heads, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Family Law.
Byron Bay, NSW · Northern Rivers
Heydons Lawyers & Attorneys provides legal services in Byron Bay, NSW. Listed practice areas include General Practice (regional generalist), Property & Conveyancing and Business & Commercial Law.
Lismore, NSW · Northern Rivers
Soutar Lynetta provides legal services in Lismore, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Family Law.
Nimbin Law provides legal services in Casino, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Business & Commercial Law.
Nimbin Law provides legal services in Grafton, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Business & Commercial Law.
Byron Bay, NSW · Northern Rivers
Vickers Lawyers provides legal services in Byron Bay, NSW. Listed practice areas include Business & Commercial Law, Property & Conveyancing and Wills & Estates.
Byron Bay, NSW · Northern Rivers
JH Mobile Lawyer provides legal services in Byron Bay, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Family Law.
Ballina, NSW · Northern Rivers
McCartney Young Lawyers provides legal services in Ballina, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Planning & Environment and Business & Commercial Law.
Murwillumbah, NSW · Northern Rivers
Lawsearch Australia Pty Ltd provides legal services in Murwillumbah, NSW. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Property & Conveyancing and Probate & Estate Administration.
Wollongbar, NSW · Northern Rivers
Trustee For The Scobie Family Trust The provides legal services in Wollongbar, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Family Law and Wills & Estates.
NSW · Northern Rivers
Trustee For The Scobie Family Trust The provides legal services in NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Family Law and Wills & Estates.
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.