Blog
Duties of a trustee
In very general terms, a trustee holds assets of a Trust, manages those assets and deals with the capital and income in accordance with the terms of the Trust. The trustee owes a duty directly to the beneficiaries and must always act in the best interest of those beneficiaries.
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What is a partial property settlement?
Even the most amicable of family law matters can take a significant period to be finalised by way of Court Orders. A common question we are asked is, "How do I pay my expenses and legal fees until the completion of my matter?" One option may be to apply for partial property settlement.
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Disclaiming an inheritance left to you in a Will
You may think that it is strange to consider not accepting a gift, whether it is under the terms of a Will or where there is no Will. But there can be very good reasons to disclaim an inheritance.
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Are the views of the child considered in family law proceedings
When making Parenting Orders in relation to a child, the Family Law Act requires the Court to regard the best interests of the child as the paramount consideration. In doing this, the Court may give consideration to the views of the child.
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What is an Independent Children’s Lawyer?
An Independent Children's Lawyer is appointed by the Court to represent and promote the best interests of a child in family law proceedings. The ICL plays a crucial role in parenting disputes but must act independently of the Court and the parties.
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Landmark family law reforms passed in October 2023
On 19 October 2023, the Australian Parliament passed two significant pieces of legislation in an attempt to reform Australia’s family law system. These two pieces of legislation have been designed to make Australia’s family law system simpler, safer and more accessible.
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Beware when using social media during family law proceedings
It’s important for separated couples to be very careful with what they post on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Threads and TikTok when engaged in family law proceedings like divorce, property settlement and parenting negotiations.
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Risks of off-the-plan property purchases in NSW
Purchasing property off-the-plan in New South Wales can be an exciting venture. However, off-the-plan developments also contain potential pitfalls and risks that property purchasers need to be aware of.
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Navigating Christmas and time spent with children after separation
Many separated parents will be able to amicably make parenting arrangements for the Christmas period but some parents will be unable to reach agreement. For those parents, it’s important to know that any court applications to deal with parenting arrangements at Christmas must be filed by 4.00 pm on the second Friday in November in each year.
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7 tips when preparing your business for sale
Thoroughly preparing your business for sale will save you time, frustration and often, money, when it comes time to progress and finalise the transaction. There are some key issues to consider when selling a business and, in this blog, we highlight our top 7 tips.
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Annulment of marriage in Australia
An annulment of a marriage is not the same as a divorce. Annulment of your marriage is a legal declaration that there was no legal marriage between the parties even though a marriage ceremony may have taken place.
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Should I gift specific assets in my Will?
Detailing the distribution of specific property or other assets to individuals in your Will needs careful consideration. We look at three matters where the Will-maker left specific items to specific people in their Will. Those instructions led to some inequity for beneficiaries when dealing with the deceased estate.
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