It’s always wise to take legal advice when preparing a will to avoid the risk of your family losing much of the gift. Take, for example, the case of a …
When a House is not a Home
If property developers bought a suburban commercial office for a GST-inclusive price of $1 million, intending to demolish the building and use the land for a residential unit development, they …
What is a Trust and what role does a Trustee have
A Trust must have five (5) essential elements being: 1. The “Settlor” is the person who “settles” a nominal amount of funds upon the Trustee, upon terms and conditions as …
Changes to family violence definition
The definition of ‘family violence’ has been broadened to include economic and other forms of non-physical abuse. Recent changes to family law aim to more accurately reflect the experience of …
Duties of an Executor
This article outlines some important issues for Executors to consider when administering an estate. The main duties of an Executor may be summarised as follows: to arrange for the proper …
Email to Renew Lease with Clear Intention will Suffice
The courts have found an email can be a valid way to exercise an option to renew a lease, but the notice must clearly state the tenant’s intention to renew …
Company found Liable for Improper Cleaning Practice
A new High Court case has laid down the law on occupier responsibility when it comes to preventing slip and fall accidents in public places. The court found Woolworths negligent …
Businesses need to be prepared for new laws
Organisations risk being caught out if they don’t start acting now to update policies. New privacy laws come into force on 13 March 2014. With less than a year to …
Out of Hours Conduct leads to Dismissal
Employees should be aware that where out-of-work misconduct has an adverse effect on the workplace, it can constitute reasonable grounds for dismissal under the Small Business Fair Dismissal Code. Employers …
The risks and trends
As more employees use their own devices to do work, businesses need to be aware of privacy, security and intellectual property rights issues. The current shift in working practices – …
