One of the questions that we are posed by many of our clients, time and time again, is ‘why can’t we just use one of those $20 will kits from the newsagent?”. In fact, in our experience many people are hesitant to pay for a lawyer to prepare their will properly, instead preferring just to...
Where there has been a relationship breakdown and there is real property involved (for example the matrimonial home or an investment property), then depending on how the property is held by the parties, a caveat may need to be lodged over the property to protect your rights and interests in it before your ex has...
Affinity Lawyers first discussed the Western Australian case of Lemon v Mead back in April 2015, (you can read the article here). In essence, the case deals with the estate of a wealthy mining magnate who left two of his surviving children approximately $400 million each in his will, while the remaining surviving child...
As a result of the 2017 budget, it would appear that from 1 July 2018, any buyers purchasing new residential property or land within a subdivision will have the onus placed on them to collect the GST from the purchaser and pay it to the ATO. This change will necessarily require developers to amend their...
Generally, if there is a child support assessment in place pursuant to the Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989 (CSA) or if the parents of a child have come to their own private arrangements in respect of child support, these payments usually cease upon the child reaching the age of eighteen. However, child support can continue...
As one of the leading Gold Coast law firms, our property and conveyancing team at Affinity Lawyers deal with many transactions, and a common question asked is ‘what happens if the house is damaged after the contract has been signed, prior to settlement occurring?’. As most of you would be aware, Queensland has been suffering...
As blended families become more and more common in today’s society, a photo released by a family made up of a mother, father, step-mother, step-father and child has gone viral in the news for all of the right reasons. Promoting the belief that co-parenting is completely do-able, and most definitely in the best interests of...
There are significant changes to the way superannuation funds can be built and how retirement wealth can accumulated from 1 July 2017, and it may severely impact on many Australian’s ability to accumulate enough funds to retire without having to rely also on the aged pension. For those of us over the age of 49,...
ASSUMPTION — IT WILL BE A 50/50 SPLIT Most people presume that their assets will be split straight down the middle, however there is no hard and fast rule that this will occur (see pages 12 to 13 for more details). ASSUMPTION — What I put in, I get back A person may not...
Unfortunately, ‘elder abuse’ is becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society, and accordingly it is important to be aware of the signs that elder abuse may be occurring. The Australian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse defines elder abuse as “any act occurring within a relationship where there is an implication of trust,...
