Estate disputes and elder abuse
Australian lawyers experienced in estate disputes and cases of elder abuse.
Represented clients defending and claiming on estates worth close to $50 million.
Australian lawyers for estate disputes and elder abuse
Putting your interests first
Do you suspect a family member or an older client in Australia might be a victim of mistreatment? Perhaps you believe you have not received your rightful inheritance from an estate in Australia? Or has someone made a claim on an estate you are administering in Australia?
If that’s you, you need Australian lawyers experienced in estate disputes and elder abuse. We have extensive experience in:
- contesting wills
- making claims for family provision on behalf of clients who believe they should have received an inheritance
- acting for executors defending against claims made on the estate
- reversing situations where an older person has been taken advantage of financially
In many of these cases, our clients have been overseas. That is because Fiona is a German-speaking lawyer who has acted extensively for clients from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Norway, the USA and other jurisdictions.
Defending fair play in difficult circumstances
Estate disputes and elder abuse in Australia
Estate disputes and elder-abuse cases are delicate. They often involve grief, families in disagreement, and clients whose infirmity has made them victims, even though they see themselves as fiercely independent and capable.
In these cases, you need a lawyer who can navigate the human elements while being firm in pursuit of the client’s interest.
Who we work with
In the case of estate disputes, we act on behalf of executors or parties with a claim on the estate. We represent clients in both small estates worth less than $250,000 and large estates worth over $10 million. In the case of elder abuse, we act for the victim if they have capacity, and we liaise with family and financial advisors. Alternatively, it may be necessary to appoint a “tutor” to act on behalf of a person without capacity.
Contested wills
Defending estates
Family provision claims
Undue influence
Unconscionable conduct
Financial abuse
Recent testimonials
My mother inherited my father’s estate, but due to some cognitive decline, my brother who had moved in with her, began selling off her inheritance to buy properties in his name.
When my mother moved from Australia to Canada and into aged care, we needed the money to pay for her care. We could tell Fiona was genuinely interested in our situation. Thanks to her and the barrister she recommended, the court found there had been undue influence and unconscionable conduct.
Fiona and the barrister were dedicated, prepared and effective, which is not something we saw on the other side. Over the course of the matter, which ran for years, Fiona masterfully managed people behind the scenes and presented options we would never have known existed. Even now, the matter continues and Fiona can recall and use small details from nine years ago. She definitely sets a high bar.
Miles Fisher-Pollard,
Switzerland
I came to Fiona because my original solicitor couldn’t explain anything. He wouldn’t answer the phone or ring back. Then I found Fiona. She’s so approachable and good at simplifying the legal process.
And she cares. Sometimes I’ve got frustrated with the whole process and been a little aggressive, but Fiona’s always been great with me. She’s helped me heaps, she’s patient and she understands it’s hard.
Steven Marcou
Australia
We have never had to work with a lawyer, even in Germany, so when our son was injured in Australia, we had no idea what to expect from a lawyer. Fortunately, Fiona speaks German so there was no language barrier.
The situation was hard enough to understand in German. Fiona’s communication was always very quick, simple to understand and unbureaucratic. Also, almost as importantly, we found it remarkable that Fiona’s commitment to getting the best result for our son often went far beyond what we expected. She worked with great dedication and empathy to achieve the best possible outcome for our son.
If we hadn’t had a lawyer who spoke German and who worked as hard as Fiona did for us, it could have meant our son didn’t get the financial support that he will need for the rest of his life.
Christoph and Petra Basch
Germany
Fiona proved to be a reliable and very competent lawyer. I could see she really believed what had happened to Mum and me was wrong, and her advice was always honest and realistic about our chances.
When this got to court, she was 100 percent present for us. Within the first few hours, the court had chucked out quite a lot of what the other side presented. On our side, everything she and our barrister presented was accepted by the court.
Annabelle Quince
Australia