Succession & Wealth Planning

We understand how wills can go wrong, which enables us to pre-empt claims and ensure our clients’ wishes can be effectively carried out. We know the right questions to ask and work closely with our clients to understand their family dynamics and what they are trying to achieve. We have international experience and structure wills where assets are located across multiple countries. As we are trust specialists, we prepare wills to dovetail in with trust structures. We also advise on succession planning for trusteeships and trust powers.

We ensure clients structure their arrangements correctly during their lifetimes and prepare property sharing and co-ownership agreements to reflect intended rights and interests in properties and assets.

We are experts in cross-jurisdictional estate planning. Our team has significant international experience and can assist migrant entrepreneurs and investors moving to New Zealand with the New Zealand aspects of their global estate plan. We also advise overseas clients with succession planning of their New Zealand assets.

Dealing with a death in the family is often a difficult time. The legal steps that need to be taken can be overwhelming. We guide executors through the process of applying for probate. If someone dies without a will, we help clients apply for letters of administration and provide advice on how the estate will be distributed under the intestacy rules.

We also act as executors of estates. We are happy to be nominated as your executor in your will, or take over the executorship from a non-professional executor where a claim or complexity arises.

Once probate or letters of administration has been granted, we assist clients with the process of administering the estate. We help executors and administrators work through complex issues involving properties, farms, businesses and trusts. We advise clients on how to comply with their obligations and are often engaged to provide expert advice to executors dealing with challenging family dynamics and competing interests.  

We commonly act where there are estate assets in multiple jurisdictions. We make applications to re-seal the grant of probate in New Zealand and work with foreign lawyers to ensure that overseas assets can be dealt with.  

If there are any issues obtaining probate or administration of the estate becomes contentious, we are well placed to help clients navigate these issues. 

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