Wills & Estates · Great Southern
3 estate planning & testamentary trusts firms in Great Southern, Western Australia, including Albany.
3 firms
Albany, WA · Great Southern
Graphite Legal provides legal services in Albany, WA. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Planning & Environment 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.
An Albany-based search can help Great Southern clients find a starting point for personal and business advice. For a rural property or estate, identify the assets, entities and people involved before requesting a quote.
For estate planning & testamentary trusts, ask which parts of the work the firm handles itself and whether it has relevant WA experience. Let the lawyer know if a property, employer, other party or existing proceeding is outside Great Southern. 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.
Western Australia is the only state with its own family court: the Family Court of Western Australia hears parenting and property matters for both married and de facto couples. Other matters start in the Magistrates Court, with the District and Supreme Courts for serious cases, and the State Administrative Tribunal for planning, guardianship and many licensing reviews. Lawyers are admitted and regulated by the Legal Practice Board.
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 District Court or the Supreme Court of Western Australia. Family law matters are heard by the Family Court of Western Australia.
Practising certificates in Western Australia are managed by the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia. You can check a solicitor's status on its public register or by contacting it directly.
Albany, WA · Great Southern
Narpyn Law & Conveyancing provides legal services in Albany, WA. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Business & Commercial Law.
Albany, WA · Great Southern
Greenstone Legal Albany provides legal services in Albany, WA. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Estate Planning & Testamentary Trusts and Planning & Environment.
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.