Choosing the right kind of assistance
Planning your affairs, administering an estate and challenging an inheritance are different engagements. Explain your role: will-maker, executor, beneficiary, attorney or concerned relative. Ownership and family relationships help the lawyer identify the necessary work and any conflicts between the people involved.
Working with a firm in Barossa & Adelaide Hills
Mount Barker, Nuriootpa and Gawler provide different starting points across Barossa & Adelaide Hills. If a matter concerns land and a business together, identify the owner and operator separately.
For wills & estates, ask which parts of the work the firm handles itself and whether it has relevant SA experience. Let the lawyer know if a property, employer, other party or existing proceeding is outside Barossa & Adelaide Hills. Your home address alone does not determine the applicable process.
How the engagement may progress
- 01
List family members, property, debts, companies, trusts and superannuation. Identify where original documents are held and which assets are jointly owned.
- 02
Ask what each document or application would achieve. Confirm which state rules and asset-ownership arrangements need to be considered.
- 03
Agree on signing, storage and future reviews, or on the executor’s responsibilities for records and distributions. Identify changes that should prompt further advice.
Fees and the scope of work
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.
Dates to raise at first contact
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.
Questions to ask a wills & estates adviser
- Does the scope address assets outside my own name?
- Who is the client if relatives attend together?
- What information is needed before documents can be finalised?
