Estate Planning

Effective estate planning is crucial for ensuring that your wishes are carried out and your assets are managed according to your preferences. At Verge Legal, we offer expert advice and services to help you navigate the complexities of estate planning. Our goal is to provide you with a comprehensive plan that secures your assets and provides for your loved ones. 

Making & Changing a Will

A will is a fundamental document in estate planning, outlining how your assets will be distributed upon your death. It is essential to have a well-drafted will to ensure that your wishes are fulfilled and to avoid potential disputes among beneficiaries.

Our Services for Making & Changing a Will Include:

Drafting a Will
We assist in creating a legally binding will that accurately reflects your intentions. This includes detailing how your assets should be distributed, appointing executors, and naming guardians for any dependents.
Updating a Will
Life circumstances change, and so should your will. Verge Legal helps you make necessary amendments to your will, whether due to changes in family dynamics, financial status, or legal requirements. Regular updates ensure that your will remains relevant and effective.
Ensuring Validity
We ensure that your will complies with all legal formalities, including proper execution and witnessing, to avoid any challenges or disputes in the future.

Testamentary Trusts

Testamentary trusts are created through a will and come into effect upon your death. They can provide significant benefits, such as protecting assets, managing distributions, and reducing tax liabilities.

Our Services for Testamentary Trusts Include:

Establishing Testamentary Trusts
We assist in setting up testamentary trusts that align with your estate planning goals. These trusts can be used to manage and protect assets for beneficiaries, including minor children or those with special needs.
Customising Trust Provisions
Verge Legal helps tailor the provisions of the trust to meet your specific needs, including defining how income and capital are to be distributed, and appointing trustees to manage the trust.
Tax and Asset Protection
We provide advice on how testamentary trusts can be used to optimise tax outcomes and protect assets from potential claims or creditors.

Advice on Superannuation and Life Tenants

Superannuation and life tenancies are important aspects of estate planning that can affect how your assets are managed and distributed. 

Our Services for Superannuation and Life Tenants Include:

Superannuation Planning
We offer guidance on how to integrate your superannuation into your estate plan. This includes ensuring that superannuation death benefits are directed to the intended beneficiaries and exploring options for binding death benefit nominations.
Life Tenants
If you wish to provide for a life tenant (someone who benefits from your estate for their lifetime), we assist in setting up the appropriate legal structures to ensure their needs are met while preserving the remainder of the estate for other beneficiaries.
Review and Compliance
We ensure that your superannuation arrangements and provisions for life tenants comply with relevant laws and regulations, including those specific to the Australian superannuation system.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will you help me?

Firstly, we will reach out to you to gain a deeper understanding of your situation. Subsequently, we will assign a lawyer who will engage in a conversation with you, either through a phone call or an in-person meeting, in order to provide an initial assessment of your case. We will then explain your available options and advise you on the next steps you should take to solve your legal problem.

How long will it take to resolve my matter?

We take pride in having the fastest response times in the industry.

For every inquiry, we guarantee an initial response within 24 hours.

After the initial consultation, you will have a better idea of the timeline for the next steps required.

Which lawyer will I be assigned?

After we receive your initial inquiry, we will allocate a specialist lawyer in the relevant practice area to give you an initial assessment of the matter.

Due to the multidisciplinary nature of our firm, we can assign an expert lawyer to your matter no matter the type or the scale of your matter.

Alternatively, you can request to speak to a particular lawyer.

How much do you charge?

At Verge Legal we have a policy of making full disclosure of all estimated legal fees and disbursements right at the start of each matter.

By law, we are required to give you a comprehensive costs agreement and costs disclosure which will outline how are fees are charged. You can take comfort in the knowledge that there will be no hidden fees or surprises.

We offer fixed fees for certain matters such as conveyancing and transactional deals. For others such as litigation, we generally charge an hourly rate.

We work hard to ensure that our rates are competitive. You can discuss with us a mutually suitable fee arrangement.

I have never worked with lawyers before, what should I know about you?

Before you engage any lawyer you should check that they are listed on the Victorian Legal Services Board (VLSBC) Register of Lawyers.

You can rest assured in the knowledge that we are a fully accredited and insured incorporated law practice and all our lawyers hold current practising certificates.

What they say

Our Testimonials

Get in Touch Today

If you require assistance, please contact us today. We pride ourselves on providing clear communication and no-nonsense legal advice. Our dedicated team will ensure that your case receives the attention it deserves.

Step 1

Contact us and let us know your legal problem.

Step 2

We will select the right lawyer based on practice area and expertise.

Step 3

You will be scheduled to meet with the best lawyer for your circumstances as soon as possible.

Step 4

Speak to our expert lawyer who will explain to you the relevant law and list the options available to you.