Szabo & Associates News & Updates

Contesting a Will in New South Wales is relatively straightforward, however doing so successfully would appear to be another matter altogether - after two recent NSW court decisions have highlighted the difficulties of mounting an effective challenge. This short blog looks at the first case of the two.

A General Power of Attorney, or POA for short, gives one person the authority to handle another's financial matters when they are unable, or do not want, to do so themselves. They are usually used for specific purposes. So, for example, a person with mobility issues who is unable to travel to the bank may grant a General Power of Attorney in favour of a younger family member who they trust, to do this on their behalf.

An inheritance dispute currently being heard by the High Court in England is a good demonstration of the problems that can arise when a Will is only written shortly before death and after illness has been diagnosed.

An inheritance dispute between two brothers over their mother's Will has recently been heard in the High Court of New Zealand, reports the Sunday Star Times.

A survey conducted in England and Wales suggests that approximately 25 per cent of wills drafted by solicitors in that jurisdiction are of poor quality, thus leaving them open to challenge.