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“Gift over” in a will to a substitute beneficiary

gift over, substitute beneficiary, making a will, gifts in a will, wills, deceased estate, will making, beneficiary dies,
An outline of a how a gift over works in a will. A gift over in a will is when the person designated to receive it has died, the gift then passes over to a substitute person, if so named to take.The substitute beneficiary only inherits if the main beneficiary has already died, not survived the deceased or died before attaining a vested interest.

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Time limits apply to contesting a will

time limits, family provision, family provision law, farm, Western Australia, contest a will, Time limits apply under family provision law within which to contest or challenge a will. If this time has passed it is possible to apply to the Court for an extension, but whether it is granted will depend on the circumstances. In this case the application was unsuccessful, being some years out of time.

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“Contrary intention” in succession law and will-making

Image: Coat of Arms, Broken Hill Courthouse, NSW, by B Stead.

Broken Hill Courthouse - Coat of Arms, early Australian courthouses, Australian legal history, Australian Colonial courthouses,Many provisions in state and territory legislation on succession and wills allow for a willmaker to express a contrary intention in their will to override 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.

 

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Meaning of stepchild when contesting a will

storm clouds for stepchild, family provision, testator's family maintenance,

 

A stepchild’s eligibility under the statutory rules for seeking provision from a step-parent’s deceased estate can be difficult.

In a Victorian case1 the executor of a deceased estate applied to the Supreme Court to have a claim for family provision dismissed.

The claim was brought by the adult daughter of the deceased’s former domestic partner, who had died some years before. She had been left out of his will, despite assurances and promises to the contrary. The deceased had left everything to his new domestic partner.

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Lost, missing will – where to now?

lost original will, missing wills,

Missing wills or a lost will seem to be more common than one would think. Some people store important personal documents in unusual places without informing their executor where. Here are some suggestions on next steps after a thorough search has not been successful.

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Personal possessions – interpreting their meaning and entitlements

personal items, chattels, personal chattels, deceased estate, personal possessions, will making,

personal items, belongings or effects and similar expressions are often used by willmakers to leave instructions on what they want done with such things after they die.  Those responsible with this are the people the willmaker has personally appointed and named in their will to represent them, their personal representatives or legal personal representatives. 

Rectify a mistake discovered in the will after death

Entry pillars, palm tree lined pathway to the Rockhampton Courthouse, Queensland

Sometimes a clerical error or some other aspect about a deceased’s will means that practically speaking what the deceased intended doesn’t work out. Fortunately all is not lost. Succession legislation provisions give the Court a power to rectify the will to give effect to the deceased’s intentions if the Court is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the will does not. An application to the Court for a rectification order must be made within twelve months in NSW. An extension of time may be possible in special circumstances and if the estate has not been distributed. For an application to succeed there must be clear and convincing proof.

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Nieces and nephews – leaving them an inheritance by your will

 

Nieces and nephews in wills, nieces and nephews, whole blood, half blood, ancestors, common ancestor Who our ‘nieces and nephews’ are, if we have them, may seem so obvious as to not need mentioning, after all it is all in the family and identifying them should not be a problem.

 

Leaving a gift to be divided among “nieces and nephews” by will then, should be a simple matter. Not always, as circumstances and relationships may change from the time a will is made to the date of death.

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Probate and a grant of probate – what is probate?

probate

Probate is the official process to establish or prove, whether a deceased person’s will or testamentary document is valid and intended to be their last will.

A grant of probate is the document issued by the Court of Probate after completion of an examination process. A type of grant of representation, it is an order of the Court certifying that the executor (or personal representative) named in the document is lawfully authorised to administer the estate of the deceased person. It is also official recognition that the will (which may include codicils) was proved to be valid by the Court and intended to be their last will. This article is about probate, which only applies when a will was left.

Residue of a deceased estate – what is it?

residue, deceased estate, wills, making a will, administration, probate The residue of a deceased person’s estate is basically what is left over after the payment all costs in connection with the estate. That is, payment of funeral expenses, costs incurred in the administration of the estate, payment of the deceased’s debts, discharge of any liabilities and the distribution of any specific gifts made under the will.

Gortyn laws – ancient inheritance laws etched in stone

Gortyn, Crete, Greece, Gortyn Law inscriptions, stone

Inheritance and intergenerational transfer of property has concerned families and civilisations for centuries.  Inheritance laws of the ancient city of Gortyn (Gortys), Crete were inscribed on stone in a public place in the fifth century.  The Law Code of Gortyn is a written set of rules prescribing who inherits, among other private matters, so as to keep property in the male side of family.

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Who can see the will of a deceased person, and get a copy?

 

wills, probate, deceased estate, copy of someone's will,

To see the contents of a deceased person’s will can be difficult. But in some states if you know who has the will, a copy, or other testamentary document, the law requires them to allow certain categories of people who are entitled under the law, to have access. If you are within one of these categories you are entitled to inspect or see the will; and obtain a copy of it. Copying is at your expense, but the costs must be reasonable.

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Dying intestate – when there is no will left or an invalid one

intestate, no will, will-making, make a willIntestate means dying without a will. But sometimes even if a person has left a will there may be a partial intestacy. This is when the will does not effectively dispose of all of their property. If that happens the identified property falls into the residue of the estate and distributed according to what the person’s will states about disposal of the residue, and if silent, then according to the statutory intestacy rules. Read more on dying intestate. >>

If a deceased person has not left a will or if no document appearing to be a will can be found, they are said to have died intestate. 

Per stirpes meaning & per capita in deceased estates

per stirpes, per stirpes distribution, meaning of per stirpes, meaning of per capita, estates, deceased estates, deceased estate distribution, estate distribution, meaning of per capita, per stirpes,

 

Per stirpes (Latin, meaning by the stock) and per capita (by the head) are ways in which a person’s estate can be distributed among their descendants.  They are terms referring to the different ways of distributing property among a group or class of people.

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