Personal & Succession law
Risk management advice for legal practitioners about will making, POA, beneficiaries, estate administration and more.
News
What’s changing at the LPLC — and why it matters
The LPLC is changing the way we engage with the profession. We are looking to improve our services and how we provide support. As we mark 40 years of service, our purpose remains unchanged: giving peace of mind to the legal profession and the community.
What is evolving is how we listen, how we use evidence and insights, and how we design services that better reflect the needs of Victorian legal practitioners and national firms.
We are investing in better digital tools, simpler processes and more opportunities for practitioners and firms to contribute ideas, provide feedback and to share their experiences. These changes are intended to make it easier to access practical support, share your perspective and see how your insights help shape future improvements.
I look forward to sharing updates as this work progresses and to working with the profession.
Mary Maini
Chief Executive Officer
Will Making
Preparing wills for clients is part of many lawyer’s stock in trade and is often a complex job requiring a deep understanding of a breadth of common law and legislative requirements.
The mistakes in this area often happen from not taking clear instructions from clients, not using clearly written precedents and not properly proofreading and road testing the final will to ensure it does what it is supposed to do. This section provides information about how and why errors occur and resources to help avoid them.
Powers of Attorney
Powers of attorney are powerful documents as they allow the attorney to affect the rights and property of someone else and should be treated very carefully.
This section contains information about the errors practitioners can make when they advise on and prepare powers of attorney for clients and when they rely on them in transactions.
Beneficiaries
Acting for disappointed beneficiaries, or those left out of a will carries with it strict time limits and need for a detailed knowledge of legislation and common law.
Missing time limits, miscommunication or misunderstanding a client’s rights are the most common causes of claims in this area. This section has articles, checklists and client brochures to help you navigate these issues and avoid errors.
Estate Administration
Providing legal advice and assistance in the administration of an estate is an important part of legal work. There are many traps in this work including not dealing with assets as instructed, finalising an estate too quickly or too slowly, distributing the estate incorrectly and managing difficult executors. This provides information to help navigate these issues and avoid errors.