Articles - Estate Administration (Probate)
Estate Administration is the process of dealing with the estate of someone who has died. It often includes applying for Probate, or Letters of Administration.
The difference between a grant of probate and letters of administration: Do you need either?
A grant of representation is a legal document that gives the executor/administrator of an estate the legal authority to manage and distribute the assets of the deceased. Obtaining a grant of representation requires undertaking a specific process and applying to the Supreme Court of Queensland.
Acting as Executor: Risks and Considerations
Whether acting as executor or administrator, doing so can be a complex and time-consuming task, and it is not something to be taken lightly. When a person takes on either role, they have certain obligations and open themselves up to risk, even where there is no risk of challenge to the will. This article will go over some of the risks of taking on the role so that anyone who is appointed is aware of them and knows how to mitigate them.
Who has the Last Word on Body Donation?
A Queensland resident who wishes to donate their body for therapeutic (transplant to the body of a living person) or medical/scientific purposes may do everything right in expressing these wishes before their death. They could:
register themselves as an Organ Donor on the National Register,
make a direction in their Will to donate their body tissue, and
make a Statutory Declaration the day before they die stating that they want to donate their body tissue.
They could take all these measures, and yet the decision may still be at the whim of someone else!