Category Archives: Beneficiaries

“Contrary intention” in succession law and will-making

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Broken Hill Courthouse - Coat of Arms, early Australian courthouses, Australian legal history, Australian Colonial courthouses,contrary intention

Contrary intention are words used in Australian succession legislation on wills and the administration of deceased estates. Some examples are given below of the range of matters where the law allows for a willmaker to express a contrary intention in their will to the statutory rule.

Where a provision of succession legislation contains these words, it means that the statutory rule can be displaced, that is not apply in the administration of their estate, if a willmaker has expressed a different intention on the matter in their will as to what they want to have happen.  A contrary intention may be expressed in a will or appear in a will.

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Step-grandchildren described as “descendants” and “children”- can they inherit?

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Step-grandchildren, will-making, descendants, childrenSome grandparents like to leave something to their grandchildren in their will.  If they have step-grandchildren as well, as is increasingly likely these days, are they to be included in the will too?

If grandparents intend step-grandchildren in their extended family to benefit under their will, then to assist their executors for the efficient administration of their estate, it would be helpful if they could make that clear in their will, as a recent New South Wales case has highlighted.

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Personal items in a deceased estate

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personal items, personal effects, belongings, deceased estate, will, willmaking, testator, personal thingsPersonal items can have important sentimental value.  They may be family heirlooms passed down to keep within the family, with unique stories to tell.  Personal items may have little commercial value, or maybe of significant monetary worth in the case of jewellery, antiques, artworks and the like.

What might “personal items” mean in succession law?  What happens if you don’t leave any instructions as to who takes your personal things and you die intestate? Who is entitled under the law to take your personal items then?  More →

Personal possessions – interpreting their meaning and entitlements

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personal possessions, deceased estate, will making, Personal possessions, personal items, belongings or effects and similar expressions are often used by willmakers to leave instructions on what they want done with such things.

The executor’s role is to administer the estate of a deceased person in accordance with the terms of their will.  The case law shows that occasionally a term causes uncertainty for an executor as to what the willmaker intended in their choice of words or expressions.  What did they mean? What did they want to have happen, and how may their executor or personal representative resolve this dilemma with confidence that they are doing the right thing?

Executors seeking advice

If faced with a difficult dilemma as to what to do, executors can apply to the Supreme Court for an opinion, advice or direction on any question respecting the management or administration of trust property, under s 63 of the Trustee Act 1925 (NSW).

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Nieces and nephews – leaving them an inheritance

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By B Stead

Meaning of “nieces and nephews” – the general assumption

Nieces and nephews in wills, nieces and nephews, whole blood, half blood, ancestors, common ancestorOur nieces and nephews are the children of our brothers and sisters, this hardly needs saying.  If someone wishes to leave a gift to their “nieces and nephews” in their will, it should be a simple matter, when the time comes, to identify which individuals are a niece or a nephew and so entitled to share in the inheritance.   However circumstances and relationship may change from the time a will is made to the date of death.
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Distribution problems for executors when relatives cannot be located

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Leaving beneficiary details helps streamline estate administration

Overseas

Not everyone lives and works in the community in which they grew up, surrounded by family and friends.

Many leave to pursue opportunities elsewhere, maybe never to return.  Family ties may weaken in time, and contact is lost. What if you want to leave them something in your will?

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