Heckenberg Lawyers are specialists in Probate Law.
When you are appointed the Executor of a deceased Estate you are responsible for obtaining a Grant of Probate and then distributing the Estate in accordance with the Will of the deceased.
In addition, as Executor of the Estate you need to comply with all your legal obligations to ensure that you are not personally liable to the beneficiaries of the Estate.
The immense responsibilities that lie on Executors led us to introduce our Probate Plus Service. Our Probate Plus Service includes:
Collecting the Estate Funds after Probate
Collecting the Estate Funds can be a time consuming process where you are dealing with financial institutions, share portfolios, managed investment funds and superannuation trustees.
Our Probate Law specialists will handle the collection of all the assets of the Estate as well as the payment of any debts of the Estate. This means that you can rest assured that the funds are being collected correctly and that all assets of the deceased will be included.
Distributing funds to beneficiaries and making sure correct distributions have been made
Once the Estate Funds have been collected and any liabilities of the Estate paid, then the funds need to be distributed to the beneficiaries in accordance with the Will of the deceased.
The distribution of funds to the beneficiaries is one of the most important jobs of the Executor. A mistake in the distribution of the funds to beneficiaries, can leave an Executor open to a claim for damages from the beneficiaries.
Our expert Probate Lawyer specialists, are experienced in distributing funds to beneficiaries under a Will and ensure that the funds are distributed correctly, thus satisfying your legal obligations as Executor.
Assisting with the conveyancing of sale or transfer of property
Often the main asset of the Estate will be real estate owned by the deceased. Depending upon the Will this real estate may need to be sold and the funds distributed to the beneficiaries or it may need to be transferred to a beneficiary.
Our Probate Plus Service will handle any necessary sale or transfer of real estate under the Will, so that the Estate can be finalised as soon as possible.
Advising on any trust which may arise under the terms of the Will
Every Will is different. If the Will of which you are the Executor results in a Trust being set up for the beneficiaries, then you should speak to our Probate Law specialists who can advise you on your duties as Trustee and how to fulfil these correctly.
Acting as an Executor is a big responsibility. Our Probate Plus Service ensures that you fulfil this responsibility in accordance with the law.
At Heckenberg Lawyers, we don’t take our clients’ confidence for granted: we work hard to earn it, by providing an efficient, cost effective service which puts your interests first and doesn’t cut corners. We take pride in achieving repeat custom and winning clients by word of mouth recommendation.
See our Will Dispute Lawyer & Contesting Wills page for more information on the Wills & Estates services we provide or contact us for advice specific to your situation.