Szabo & Associates News & Updates

Every day, the courts and corridors of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia are filled with separating couples and families, seeking that the Court adjudicate or approve their financial property settlement.

Contesting a Will with a family provision claim usually arises because a person has been left out of a Will or has not received what they believe to be a fair share of the estate of the deceased. The Court’s decision in such cases will be based on a number of factors that directly relate to the individual circumstances.

A new procedure could provide greater transparency when it comes to superannuation assets in a property settlement negotiation.

The English High Court is currently hearing an interesting case where the former head girl of a private school, Ms Voysey, inherited the $7.5m estate of the school’s headmistress and owner, Mrs Renny. The estate mainly consists of the former school and land in Hertfordshire, north of London. A previous Will from 2016 divided the property among various family members, but a 2019 Will left everything to Ms Voysey. Shortly after making this Will, Mrs Renny passed away, aged 82.

The COVID-19 pandemic considerably impacted existing lease relationships between tenants and their landlords in Australia. COVID-19 Regulations introduced by the NSW Government provided some protections to commercial lease tenants, but as these are wound back, it is possible that there may be more commercial property lease disputes in the coming months.