Estate Lawyers & Probate Legal Advice

Our probate and estate lawyers have been assisting executors with often very technical applications, estates and probate legal advice for many years. Further, with the consent of beneficiaries or on the Courts own motion, Sue has administered estates on a Grant of Letters of Administration.

Suzanne Lyttleton also accepts appointments to act as an Administrator directly from the Victorian Supreme Court.

The administration of an estate can vary from a straight forward process to being extremely complicated. The degree of this variation will often depend on the contents of the deceased’s will, the value and type of assets the deceased left behind, the number of beneficiaries and the complexity of the will.

Probate and Estate Administration

‘Probate’ refers to an order made in the Supreme Court that confirms the validity of a Will, and the authority of the executor appointed in the Will to manage the assets of the estate. Before Probate is granted, the executor is unable to finalise the deceased person’s financial and legal affairs.

An ‘executor’ is a person or group of people appointed in the Will to ensure a person’s final wishes are carried out. An executor has the responsibility of obtaining a death certificate, applying for Probate, advising family and friends, arranging and paying for the funeral, following up on any special instructions from the deceased and resolving estate issues, liabilities and disputes.

While grieving the loss of a loved one, the difficulty of managing these tasks may become overwhelming.

If you have been appointed the executor of an estate, you are able to pass the role of on to us to be handled professionally and impartially.

An ‘administrator’ has the same responsibilities as an executor, but rather than being appointed in the Will they are appointed by the Court where no executor has been named.

For more information on probate legal advice or to speak with an estate lawyer in Melbourne please contact our office: 03 9646 4477