Succession disputes are more likely to arise in blended families. If you have clients with a blended family, they need to be aware of this risk and carefully consider issues such as:
Who to appoint to control finances, superannuation and family trusts, if they lose capacity.
Mutual wills – are they really effective?
Is a life interest to the surviving spouse the best solution?
Why do most SMSF death benefit court disputes involve blended families and how can this be avoided?
Do clients always have a legal responsibility to provide for a spouse and children?
Tax strategies for the main residence and superannuation
Controlling the family trust after death
Strategies to reduce the risk of costly disputes
Who should watch
Financial planners, tax agents, accountants, lawyers, executors, and others interested in the estate planning for blended families.
Level of expertise
This webinar is for persons with some experience or interest in in estate planning for blended families.
Presenters
Bernie O’Sullivan
Principal
Chartered Tax Advisor
One of Australia’s leading estate planning lawyers, Bernie has over 40 years’ experience advising individuals, family groups and businesses on all aspects of estate and business succession.
Often acting as advisor to prominent families, Bernie’s knowledge of family trusts, superannuation and estate and elder law enables him to provide clear, practical solutions for clients with complex family and asset structures. He is often asked to provide a second opinion on existing succession plans.
Bernie’s background with trustee companies and large law firms saw him commence his own law firm in 2011 which quickly gained a reputation as a pre-eminent estate planning firm before merging into Sladen Legal in 2019.
Bernie is lead author of Estate and Business Succession Planning, widely regarded as Australia’s leading text on succession planning, now in its 8th edition. He is a sought-after public speaker by many professional and educational bodies.
View Bernie’s full profile here
Edward Skilton
Principal Lawyer
Edward is a Principal Lawyer in the business law area, with a particular focus on equity, trusts and succession.
The focus of his dispute practice is on protecting vulnerable beneficiaries and others negatively affected by the decisions of the incumbent controllers of estates and trusts.
Edward also advises in relation to the payment of superannuation death benefits including disputes regarding eligible recipients, trustee decisions and validity of documents.
On the planning side, Edward prepares complex estate plans and is particularly interested in assisting the owners of private business groups transfer the business to the next generation, as distinct from a sale to third parties.
Edward regularly presents to clients and professional groups on topics relating to estate and business succession planning, administration and related disputes. Recent topics include trust splitting and variations, buy-sell agreements and testamentary capacity.
View Edward’s full profile here