DO you have a valid Will? If so, your estate will be distributed pursuant to your wishes. If not, the laws in NSW have been amended to restate the rules for distribution on intestacy. Intestacy is when a person dies and either does not leave a Will or leaves an ineffective Will which does not dispose of all or part of a personal's property.
Approximately 54 per cent of people in New South Wales do not have a Will. Further, many Australians have Wills that actually aren't effective. Home made Wills and Will-kit Wills are notorious examples. The Succession Amendment (Intestacy) Act 2009 was proclaimed to commence on March 1, 2010 and updates the statutory order for the distribution of assets in an intestate estate to provide for when the deceased is survived by one or more spouse (including a de facto partner) and children or, failing that, other relations.
The message for us all is clear. Have a proper Will drawn up or the legislation will dictate the disposition of your assets. Walker Beer can help you with this task. If you have issues in other areas of law including damages claims, commercial litigation, motor vehicle accidents and aviation law, Walker Beer have joined forces with Carneys Lawyers of Sydney to better service the region in these areas.
Tomorrow, Arthur Carney and George Hoddle of Carneys Lawyers are coming to Gunnedah to formalise their arrangement with Walker Beer and will be available for meetings from 2pm.
In other legal news Tom Bathurst QC was recently announced as the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. Mr Bathurst will take over from His Honour, Justice Spiegelman 65, bringing an end to his time as the most senior Judge in New South Wales.
The appointment of a new Chief Justice is the first major judicial appointment of the O'Farrell government. The choice of Mr Bathurst is seen as having bipartisan support. Tom Bathurst was admitted as a solicitor in 1972 and went to the bar in 1977. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1987 and was elected president of the New South Wales Bar Association in November 2009.
"Tom Bathurst is the logical choice, he is the head of the NSW Bar Association and has been one the leading commercial silks for twenty years" said Arthur Carney, principal of Carneys Lawyers. "Obviously it is a very important position in relation to the NSW Legal System, Justice Spiegelman has been a good appointment, funnily enough a colleague and partner of our firm Wallace Meakes was the first person to brief him when he first went to the Bar in 1979".
Source: Namoi Valley Independent, Tuesday May 17, 2011 (page 13) (Website: www.nvi.com.au)