We can provide knowledgeable legal advice in the following areas:
What we don't do - court work! But we can work with your litigator to prepare your case and can act as the instructing solicitor for your chosen barrister and we can recommend a court lawyer with experience in the problem you face.
PROPERTY
We specialise in providing legal advice on the sale and purchase of residential homes, investment properties, commercial and industrial properties, bare land, house and land packages and occupation rights (for rest homes).
Our fees are fair (obtain an obligation free quote) and we provide a top quality service. Our team members are knowledgeable and friendly, approachable and continue their education in this area by attending seminars and conferences. We will ensure you know what you need to do to and what we will do for you and we'll do our very best to make the process as smooth as possible for you. As we have a close team, if the person you are dealing with is away, someone else can always help! But we also have the knowledge and skill to work for both parties to a transaction and ensure they get independent advice.
Phone or email us to request our free "Guideline for Property Buyers" or "Guideline for Property Sellers" so you know what you need to do and when as well as what we will do.
We can also advise you on the best legal entity to own the property - in your own name, in a trust or in a company.
We can also:
Anyone who owns assets in New Zealand or who has children should have a Will. If you die without a Will your assets will be distributed as directed by the Administration Act. And that doesn't necessarily mean everything to your spouse/partner and then to your children!
Having a Will prepared doesn't have to be expensive but it does have to be done correctly to ensure that it meets your wishes. Our team have prepared a vast number of Wills that provide for the many different situations of each individual client. We know the right questions to ask to get the information needed to prepare a Will that suits your circumstances and can ask those questions in a non-intrusive manner by ensuring confidentiality and respect.
Sometimes a Will can be challenged after your death but we'll do our best to protect against this by preparing the documents in such a way that your intentions and reasoning are clear. We can advise you on the possible claims and how to avoid such situations arising after your death.
If your circumstances are complicated a trust may be the best way to ensure your wishes are met and we can discuss this option with you.
We can also talk to you about the importance of having an attorney appointed to act on your behalf if you're overseas or incapacitated. This can save your family thousands in legal fees and time if something happens to you and no one is authorised as your attorney.
We all know how hard it is to lose a loved one. There are so many things to do that its difficult to know where to start.
We can help you with the process of administering your loved one's estate, whether they had a Will held by us or another law firm and even when they didn't have a Will at all.
We can advise you on what is required to administer their estate in accordance with their Will or with the Administration Act if they didn't have a Will. We'll apply for Probate or Letters of Administration if its necessary, close bank accounts, transfer property and report to the beneficiaries. And best of all, we'll keep you fully informed of progress every step of the way! If you wish to attend to some of the tasks yourself, we can give you advice on what you need to do and what documents you'll need.
It can take 6-12 months to finalise an estate and distribute the funds - sometimes longer - so its great to know that we'll be there to help you throughout that time!!
We also attend to estate administration, assisting your survivors in distributing your assets in accordance with the wishes you have expressed in your Will. We can either undertake the entire job, dealing with all your debtors and creditors or give assistance to your survivors to manage many tasks themselves.
TRUSTS
A Trust can assist in protecting your assets from creditors, from claims under the Property Relationships Act and in ensuring your assets go to whom you specify after your death. But not everyone needs a Trust. Trusts have been popular for a long time and many people have proceeded to form a trust without really knowing the benefits of they trust. We prefer that you only form a trust if you need it - not just because the neighour has one or a friend said you should! If you answer yes to any of the questions below, you may need a trust and we're happy to meet with you for a free 30 minute consultation to decide if you want one;
If you choose to form a trust, we'll also prepare the documents that work with that trust to give you a complete asset plan including Wills, Memorandum of Wishes and Deeds of Delegation. And we'll explain how they fit together!
We can then discuss what assets should be owned by your trust and consult with your other professional advisers to ensure you get the right structure for your circumstances. We'll attend to the transfer of the assets to the trust and carry out your gifting (annually or in one lump sum).
Our team are very experienced in this area of the law and attend many seminars and conferences to remain up-to-date with best practice in this field.
We are also able to review your current trust structure and documents to ensure they meet your current needs.
This is a very general description of a vast area of law that we can assist you with. It includes:
There are many other areas of law in which we can help you. And if we don't have the expertise to help you, we'll happily refer you to someone who can.
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