CLFVIP2021
I work at Chamberlains Law Firm and we have launched a new online service for doing your will in the comfort of your own home. There is currently a promotion on for a $100 discount using the following coupon code: CLFVIP2021
Online Do-It-Yourself Will with Safe Custody Storage $99 (Save $100) @ Chamberlains
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AssociatedLStip on 31/01/2021 - 18:12 chamberlains.com.au (134 clicks)
Last edited 31/01/2021 - 18:15 by 1 other user
Last edited 31/01/2021 - 18:15 by 1 other user
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I work at Chamberlains Law Firm
OP is not necessarily a lawyer - a lot of non-lawyers also work for law firms😉
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Free Legal Will Kit
145 upvotes, 1 neg - from a lawyer saying to pay a lawyer lots of $, but in my experience they can stuff it up as well.With the free will you still need safe storage. All depends what price you put on that.
My experience with "free safe storage" - there was a hefty charge to retrieve the Will!
People usually don't think of asking about that cost.
And when you urgently need the Will, you are least able to challenge that unforeseen cost.Same with Public Trustee - see comments in that Deal.
I managed & stored all family documents like Wills & Enduring Power of Attorney. Was never a problem.
Finding & correcting mistakes made by lawyers (potentially leading to a court challenge) was a problem!
Very sneaky.
Surely that would now be covered by Unfair Contract Terms legislation?But like you say, if you need something urgently, it’s easier just to pay the price.
Can OP confirm if there are any retrieval costs?
@mongos: Seems to be if you don't ask, they don't disclose. At least when dealing with lawyers for family members a few years ago.
With the Public Trustee there are usually no up front charges for making & storing a Will.
The costs & delays come when needing to use the Will after a death.
Unless you arrange an Executor for the Will, the Public Trustee will appoint one & charge a commission for handling the distribution.
Many have been caught out by that.
Always ask about costs & likely delays in processing a Will.Warnings in that Deal Link! eg NSW
I became the executor handling family estates & financial matters- saving the family a lot of money & bother.
For example an elderly family member paid $500k as a Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD) to an Aged Care Facility. To release the funds after the Death, usually requires Probate (expensive & slow process). I had the funds released in days by setting up a Trust account in their name. Then requested a TFN to minimise tax on the Estate.
Make sure you have certified copies of the Will. These are necessary when dealing with important matters after Death. That way you don't need to wait until the lawyers release the Will.
When the legal firm retains the originals, there is usually an additional charge to be provided with certified copies.
Without the original, you can't have it certified free by a JP.Always make multiple copies of the original to be certified. Handy to store in multiple places - in case the original is lost or destroyed.
Always check the work of Lawyers!!!
From experience, JPs are often better at picking up mistakes in documents than the lawyers paid to produce them. JPs see these documents all the time. Unfortunately, despite being paid well - lawyers aren't necessarily good at spotting their own mistakes.
A family member (retired JP) paid for those copies to be certified, but were useless when I examined them - only certified on cover page, rather than every page as required.
Totally useless! Lawyer wanted extra expensive "minimum charge" payment to correct their mistake!
That's when I had all legal documents released so I could manage them correctly! (Request all documents to be released at 1 time, otherwise there will be multiple fees to release.)With the free will you still need safe storage.
You could make three copies, notarised by your nearest JP (mine is my local chemist, there's probably a chemist/public servant/upstanding citizen who'll do it for you), left with people you trust. Five if you think two of the holders will collude to undo your will. Also, you could ask your GP to add one to your medical file, and mention that in the other copies.
If you're feeling extra protective buy some tamper-evident containers from eBay to keep them in. I think I paid $20 bucks for about 20.
re-written in the language non bum holes use; sorry for my earlier effort.
I simply made certified copies of all Wills available as a pack to all family members. Each knew where they stood & that others had a copy. Each safely stored their pack of Wills, as it included theirs & its human nature to be curious about others.
I safely stored the originals.
A nice little distributed network with lots of backup.That way there were no surprises, Wills were stored in multiple sites, changes couldn't be made without being obvious, and importantly - the wishes weren't contested.
In my experience, GPs rightly refused to have anything to do with their patient's Will.
Anything that may be legally contested is wisely avoided. They need to keep a professional distance & not be seen as taking sides.
It could also get in the way of their medical treatment & decisions for their patient. And it takes up their time (discussing this matter & later possible time in court) on a non-medical matter.Plus there's no Medicare number to bill for their time😉
Billing for a non-medical matter has serious consequences.As it's a legal rather than medical matter, they should advise you to seek legal advice. Referring on is what GPs do.
Can always ask your GP.
You need to state the price of service in title, after discount.