To assist practitioners working in estate administration, the Probate and Letters of Administration guides have been enhanced with commentary covering variation of testamentary and intestate dispositions and the effect that they may have on the estate’s tax position. In addition, 11 new post-death deed of variation precedents have been published which cover the most common requirements. We invite you to explore these updated publications. Comments and feedback are always welcomed.

We are very pleased to announce the release of a Letters of Administration guide. The guide covers all aspects of practice and procedure when acting in the administration of an estate where there is no will, or there is a partial intestacy. The guide assists practitioners with all aspects of the estate administration from applying for a grant through to distribution. The commentary is practical and easy to understand and is supported by numerous helpful precedents. Key content includes law and procedure relating to the intestacy rules and the impact that they have on the distribution of the estate to creditors, claimants and beneficiaries. A number of new precedents have been published, including: 6 examples for the content of an administrator’s statement of truth; A full suite of letters to administrators, beneficiaries and third parties; and A very useful precedent Estate Summary Pack. The Letters of Administration guide is an invaluable resource for all practitioners who deal with estate administration, including those with limited experience in this area or those supervising junior lawyers.

A recent Supreme Court case on special grants of probate has been added to 101 Succession Answers NSW. Application of Penhall and Dutton;

The Estates guide has been enhanced with the addition of some clarification of the operation of the Insolvency Act 1986 when assets pass by survivorship out of insolvent estates. Beneficiaries could be asked to make a payment to the estate within five years of the death if an insolvency administration order is made.

New estate cases have been added to the By Lawyers 101 Succession Answers (QLD) reference manual.

New estate cases have been added to the By Lawyers 101 Succession Answers (VIC) reference manual.

New estates cases have been added to By Lawyers 101 Succession Answers (NSW) reference manual.

New succession cases have been added to the By Lawyers 101 Succession Answers (VIC) reference manual. These helpful recent cases fall under

New succession cases have been added to the By Lawyers 101 Succession Answers (NSW) reference manual. These helpful recent cases fall under

New succession cases have been added to the By Lawyers 101 Succession Answers (QLD) reference manual. These helpful recent cases fall under

New precedents have been added to the By Lawyers Family Provision Claims QLD publication.

New precedents have been added to the By Lawyers Family Provision Claims SA publication.

New precedents have been added to the By Lawyers Family Provision Claims VIC publication.

All probate applications must be made online from 2 November 2020, with a few permitted exceptions for complex applications. The Estates commentary has been updated to reflect this change, and to provide a list of the exceptions for which a postal application may be made.

Following an author review, a raft of helpful new Family provision precedents have been added to the By Lawyers Family Provision Claims NSW