Wills and Contested Estates

Contesting a Will

Contesting a Will or Estate is a difficult decision to make. You risk losing the support of your family and setting yourself up for costly legal fees. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way. At Bridge Legal, we take a peaceful and cost-effective approach to resolving disputed deceased estates in Sydney and Brisbane.

Why Should I Dispute a Will or Estate?

There are many reasons why a Will or Estate may be contested.

If you feel the deceased was incapable of making decisions for themselves, whether from outside influence, lack of mental capacity, forgery, fraud or by force, you may be eligible to make a claim.

If you’re able to prove you’ve been unfairly provided for in a Will or Estate, you may also be eligible to make a claim.

How Do I Know if I’m Eligible to Make a Claim?

Our experienced legal advisors assess your case and the many factors that influence your chance of success. Some of the key points we assess include:

• Your current financial position and how the lack of provisions affects your ability to maintain, educate and advance you forward in life.
• The overall nature and size of the deceased’s estate
• The nature of your relationship with the deceased
• The relationship between the deceased and other people who have legitimate claims to the estate.

We assess these crucial factors and give you an honest answer regarding the success of your claim. If we conclude your claim has a good chance of success, we move forward with mediation.

Saving You From Costly Legal Fees

Mediation has a high success rate among disputed deceased estates in Brisbane and Sydney. It’s more cost-effective than going to court, quicker and far less stressful on the parties involved.

These sessions aim towards reaching a peaceful resolution, where each party has the chance to present their case in a neutral environment.

In the event these sessions are unsuccessful, we’ll help you proceed with going to trial.

Time Limits for your Claim

Each state has set periods that you must commence a claim in. For example NSW is 12 months from the date of death and QLD is 9 months, however, you must notify the Executor or administrator within 6 months of the date of death of your intention to claim.  If you fail to do this and the executor has distributed, you are blocked from commencing your claim,  Please call us to find out the Time limits that apply to you.