Simple. Accessible. For your unique family.
Simple. Accessible. For your unique family.
Wills and Estates Lawyer Bellingen.
We provide personal and practical advice based on our legal experience along with preparation of optimal documents to get the best outcome for you and your family.
Wills Estates Probate Lawyers Bellingen.
Contact us for practical, friendly and clear solutions, advice and documents for your estate planning and deceased estate needs.
Book in a free 10 minute chat with lawyer Del Copeland:-
Caring expert in Estate Planning + Deceased Estates
Custom legal solutions to look after your unique family
In person or online appointments for your convenience.
Book a free 10 minute chat or a meeting directly into our calendar
Experienced and knowledgeable solicitor
Transparent fixed fee pricing
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Why choose Copeland Estates Legal?
We look after holistic solutions to realise your goals and satisfy your needs so that you and your family are financially protected and are mentally at ease.
Ready to start?
The first step can often be the hardest. Clicking the button gets your there. Book a free chat.
Practical legal support.
Get practical support to manage your loved one’s estate.
Practical legal support.
Get practical support to manage your loved one’s estate.
We understand it’s not a nice time and having to deal with the practicalities feels all too hard – whether it’s trying to discover what assets need to be dealt with, figuring out what to do with the Will (or finding out there may not be a Will), dealing with organisations and their requirements.
It can be a rollercoaster ride of emotions, ups and downs. And this can happen whether you know exactly what to do or if you have no idea and feel like you’re floundering.
Distress, confusion and miscommunication should not be things you need to deal with on top of all the rest. Having someone hold your hand and guide you through can make a world of difference.
Our role is to give solid, clear advice and look after all the practical steps to help you get from the A all the way to the Z in the best way possible.
It’s our job to look after you and make sure that all the i’s are dotted, all the t’s are crossed and that you are protected in having looked after your loved one’s estate effectively and with all the legal protections.
Clear legal advice.
“One size fits all” does not fit all when it comes to legals.
Clear legal advice.
“One size fits all” does not fit all when it comes to legals.
Sometimes it’s hard taking that first step to getting your Wills and Estate Planning sorted because you simply don’t know what you need. All goals are valid and maybe you’re trying to protect your family against future claim, maybe you’re anticipating a family member will have a marriage breakdown, maybe you’re looking to tie up the most effective, simple plan for your family to trigger one day.
We’ll give you a hint: creating a solution is what we’re here to help you with. If you don’t know what you want because it feels all too hard, we help clarify your thoughts and give you clear advice to put into action something that will achieve your goals and look after your family’s future.
Caring & experienced lawyer.
We have an accommodating and caring team to help put you at ease.
We have 15+ years of experience looking after families in setting up their estate planning and sorting out their loved one’s deceased estate.
We think outside the box when needed and advise you on strategic decisions that afford favourable results.
We have assist you in setting up your estate planning for asset and claim protection.
We can provide clear and practical advice on how to structure your Wills and estate planning for blended families.
The first move is to book a free 10 minute chat so we can advise you on what you need to do next.
Our Services include
Our Services include
- Wills
- Testamentary Trust Wills
- Power of Attorney
- Enduring Guardianships
- Revocation documents
- Succession Planning
- Elder Law
- Corporate Powers of Attorney
- Corporate Estate Planning
- Advice on Residential Aged Care Agreements
- Property Co-ownership Agreements
- Granny Flat Agreements
- Deeds of Family Arrangement
- Transmission of properties
- Registration of Notice of Death
- Grant of Probate
- Grant of Letters of Administration
- NSW Reseal
- Deceased Estates Administration
- Estate Distribution
What the legal FAQ?
What the legal FAQ?
Where do you put your will and estate planning documents once they’re signed?
We offer FREE safe custody for all your important documents – not least of which are your Wills, Powers of Attorney and Enduring Guardianships. Making sure your original documents are in a safe place while still having copies and/or certified copies to use is the best way to have your cake and eat it too.
Do you need to use the lawyer who holds the Will to look after your loved one’s estate?
No. Often if a lawyer holds a Will they are holding it on behalf of your loved one and must release it to the executor(s) upon receiving their direction to do so. You can choose your own lawyer to look after your loved one’s deceased estate.
Do you need a Will if you have no assets?
Yes. Imagine if one day you decided to open the front door and walk away from your life. There would be bills to be paid, bank accounts to close, people to notify, a residence to empty of your possessions – just to name a few. Without a Will, there’s no one legally appointed to deal with the fallout of you leaving, not to mention there is no direction on what to do with whatever assets you do leave behind.
Does superannuation form part of your estate?
Not necessarily. The trustee of your super fund will usually have the discretion to decide who gets your super if you don’t have a valid death nomination in place and your Will can sometimes play a role.
Are trusts only for large estates?
Not necessarily. Sure, big estates can benefit from tax concessions of having a Testamentary Trust Will crystallise on your loved one’s passing. But trusts can also help if you need to look after someone who is disabled or someone who may mismanage their inheritance, or if you are trying to protect against a certain risk.
Can you inherit debt?
If there are assets in the estate, those assets will need to be used to pay the debt before beneficiaries can receive a distribution. If there’s not enough to cover the liabilities, the estate may need to be administered as an insolvent estate with creditors receiving a portion only of what they’re owed.
Can I give away my half of the house?
In legal speak: it depends. If you own your house as joint tenants with someone else, then you can’t bequeath your half of the house without changing ownership. If you own the house as tenants in common then you can leave your share to a beneficiary.
Do executors get paid?
All estate expenses incurred by executors are reimbursed by the estate. If an executor is also a beneficiary of the estate, their distribution is usually taken to be their “payment” for services rendered. If they’re not a beneficiary and want to get paid for their efforts they can seek beneficiary consent or apply for executor’s commission through the Supreme Court.
Who pays for legal costs in a deceased estate?
The estate itself. All costs and expenses and liabilities will usually get paid by the estate before beneficiaries receive a distribution.
Are Will kits good enough?
A good (lawyer) friend of mine once told me her view: getting a DIY Will kit versus getting a lawyer to prepare your Will is the difference between using an ice cream bucket on your head versus using a bike helmet when cycling. If there’s a need to use it, best to decide what you’d rather be wearing.