Victorian Law Week 15 – 21 May

When you ask Jasmyne Cadman, Wills and Estate Lawyer at Grainger Legal, about Law Week, she smiles a little wryly: “I’ve gotta say, it was a big week for us in the Wills and Estate team. I spoke to more people about their Wills within that one week than I thought was humanly possible!”

In 2022, Grainger Legal opened its doors as part of Law Week celebrations, and invited the public to sit down with a lawyer for free at any one of their offices, to find out what documents they need in place to avoid the risk of dying without a Will. The response was overwhelming.

“We were still getting enquiries many weeks after the end of Law Week,” says firm director, Joanne Santos.

“It was quite apparent to us that many people are unsure what sort of detail needs to go into their Will and whether or not their existing Will still properly caters for their needs.”

It’s for that reason that Grainger Legal will once again offer free, no obligation appointments, to discuss your circumstances and discover what documents you need to put in place. If you already have a Will, they will review your existing Will and let you know if it is still doing what you want it to do. An appointment of this sort would normally cost $150.

The message coming from the Grainger Legal team is that a Will is an important document, which reflects your wishes and distributes your assets in the event of your death. Caroline Grainger, principal lawyer at Grainger Legal says she doesn’t want anyone’s loved ones to go through the stress and extra cost of sorting out an estate, without the benefit of a properly executed Will setting out the deceased person’s wishes.

“If someone dies without a Will, it is an added heartbreak to their family to have to sort through their affairs and then discover that even if they think they know what the deceased person would have done with their estate, they still have to abide by the laws of intestacy. Often these situations end up in a great deal of additional time and expense – a situation that could have been easily rectified by a simple and inexpensive Will being prepared,” Ms Grainger said.

Victorian Law Week is managed by the Victorian Law Foundation, and is a state-wide program of community events and activities that makes learning about the law easy. It is designed to help Victorians understand their rights, find answers to their questions, know what help is available and how our legal system works.

To organise a free, no obligation appointment with a member of the Wills and Estates team at Grainger Legal, contact the office 5303 0250, or visit their website at graingerlegal.com.au. Appointments are being offered at their Castlemaine, Bacchus Marsh, and Sunbury offices.