About Probate Lawyer

Probate Lawyer is a website about a single subject: probate, letters of administration and deceased estate administration in Victoria. Substantive legal content is reviewed by Jim Parke, Lawyer and Chartered Accountant.

We took this approach because probate questions arrive at an unusual moment. People are usually dealing with a death, a stack of unfamiliar paperwork, and institutions asking for documents they have never heard of. A site dedicated to that single problem can explain it properly, rather than reducing it to one page in a list of practice areas.

• Advising whether a grant of representation is actually required for a particular estate.
• Applications for grants of probate in the Supreme Court of Victoria.
• Applications for letters of administration, with or without a will annexed.
• Deceased estate administration: collecting assets, dealing with institutions, debts, land transfers and distribution.
• Guidance for executors and administrators on their duties and personal exposure.
• Identifying where a related issue — property, tax, superannuation or a possible claim — needs separate attention.

Where a matter is outside what this site covers, or is better handled by another professional, we will say so.

• We explain the likely scope of work and costs before you decide whether to proceed.
• We tell you when a grant is not needed, even though that means less work for us.
• We write and speak in plain English, and put the process in a sequence you can follow.
• We keep you informed as the administration progresses.

We assist with estates connected to Victoria, where the grant is sought in the Supreme Court of Victoria or Victorian assets have to be dealt with. Where an estate has assets in another State or overseas, a reseal or a separate grant may be needed, and we will tell you what that involves.

Phone 134 134 or email enquiries@probatelawyer.net.au. You can also use the enquiry form.