At J.N. Stern we offer:

 Personal attention to your matter

 Competitive pricing

 Easy and Convenient Communication

 Online and Face to Face interaction

 Help to people with Estate Planning, Power of Attorney and Power of Enduring Guardianship

We take the time to listen and assist to arrange a succession plan and legal documents. We appreciate that people have worked hard to accumulate and maintain wealth and want to see it passed on in the most appropriate way according to the person’s wishes after they pass away in the form of a valid legal will drafted by an experienced solicitor. We sit down and devise:

• a comprehensive plan for passing on wealth according to instructions and   circumstances
• a will or updated will if appropriate
• a testamentary trust if appropriate

For peace of mind many clients have us draft a Power of Attorney to make sure their assets are dealt with according to their wishes in preparation for if the person loses capacity to make decisions themselves over their financial affairs. We are often instructed to draft a Power of Enduring Guardianship in preparation for if a person loses capacity to make care and lifestyle decisions for themselves. Please see further down this page for more information on what these two documents are.

We offer assistance with:

 Drafting wills

 Drafting Powers of Attorney, including General Powers of Attorney and Enduring Powers of Attorney

 Drafting testamentary trusts

Testamentary trusts can potentially provide better tax outcomes to a beneficiary under a will and potentially provide better protection to a beneficiary under a will against insolvency and family law disputes.

 Drafting Power to Appoint Enduring Guardianship

 Drafting Advance Care Directive

 Drafting Binding Superannuation Death Benefit Nominations

 Executor Services

Including annual trust distributions and trust maintenance (including maintenance of trust assets, etc)

We work hard to make sure the people we help:

 Are happy and satisfied with our services

 Feel that we are approachable and enthusiastic to help

I need a will – the reasons why you need a solicitor.

At J.N. Stern we take the time to listen to how you want the proceeds of your estate distributed and then, in accordance with your instructions, we write up the will so that it is written in a clear, legally acceptable and easy to understand format.

Under Australian law any will can be challenged, although if the will has been drafted with the assistance of a highly trained and experienced solicitor, in the event that a will is challenged in court (and it does happen from time to time), there is a greater likelihood that your wishes of who gets what will be fulfilled.

Having no will can create additional time, hassle and cost for the estate to sort out who gets what, even in situations when the beneficiaries are cooperative. The administration of the estate can be made so much easier and cheaper by having a clearly written will in place.

You should remember that as your circumstances in life change, you should consider having J.N. Stern update your will.

Having a will drawn up by J.N. Stern will give you peace of mind, knowing that your testamentary wishes have been clearly legally worded. Your family and other beneficiaries will also feel better knowing that a highly qualified and experienced solicitor has drawn up the will for you.

In addition to drafting your will, we can draw up a Power of Attorney for you. A Power of Attorney is a legal document that allows someone to have the power to make legal, financial and property decisions on your behalf. It is commonly put in place when someone is incapable of making these decisions themselves, or anticipates such a situation. You can also draw up a Power of Attorney for someone to make these decisions and manage your affairs in a situation in which you are overseas for an extended period. The person given the Power of Attorney is usually someone close, like a partner or child over the age of 18.

We can also draw up a Power of Enduring Guardianship form, which is a document that is used to appoint someone to make personal care and lifestyle decisions for you in the event that you are unable to make these decisions yourself. For example, you might want such a document drawn up ‘just in case’ you lose your decision making ability at some time in the future. For example, you might want to have us draw up a Power of Enduring Guardianship form ‘just in case’ you are involved in an accident, or become ill or there is a risk you might lose your memory (eg in anticipation of dementia). The Guardian appointed is usually someone close, like a partner or child over the age of 18.