@polksaladallie wrote:
A solicitor does not have my will. Too much $$$ involved. My executors will act by themselves, they don't need a solicitor. Same reason.
But everyone should do what is best for them and their family.
Please think again about having a solicitor involved.
I am in NSW. My solicitor charges about $150 to draft a simple Will and that seems to be fairly standard. Obviously you will pay more if there are Trusts etc involved.
In the case of both of my parents Wills we were charged $3000 for the solicitor to handle Probate etc. Dad originally wanted to handle Mum's Will but the amount of trailing around was just not worth it.....He would have had to deal with Probate, property transfers as the house and car were in joint names, share transfers, the banks, insurance companies,.....the list seemed endless.
Occasionally even an executor has to call on a solicitor for help when some of the authorities you need to deal with have no idea.
When my father died I contacted his insurance company to inform them of his death and that the house was now unoccupied (as required by the terms of his insurance)
The girl who answered the phone asked was I the policy holder. I went through everything again, only to be told they needed to talk to the home owner, not just "anybody". I again explained that this anybody was the policy holders daughter and the executor of his Will. Still no go....did I have the policy holder's current address? Yes, Rose Garder number xx, Botany Crematorium. Could I cantact the policy holder and ask him to ring them please? Well, no, I could not.
By this stage I was losing my cool and demanded to speak to her supervisor only to be told that it was not necessary.
When I finally got put through to a supervisor she was horrified and so apologetic. I told her that at first I was mildly amused at the "red tape" but it did get a bit out of hand. I would have liked to be a fly on the wall when that young lady was called before her surpervisor.
BTW, somebody mentioned the possibility of a Will being contested. That can only be done AFTER probate has been granted......the very first step after a death is to have the will probated before anybody can do anything.
Also, if the executor of a Will is not able, or does not want to do the running around they can ask a solicitor to do it for them. You do not have to name a solicitor as the Executor for them to be able to act for/as an executor.
Also, here in NSW there is a service whereby you can register the whereabouts of a Will with the courts. We have never used it as our Wills are held in our solicitor's offices (a large city firm) but when we were looking for a missing will for a relative we were advised to contact this service and see if it was there. Sorry I have not got any more information on this.
