Wills in Albury

Making a will in Albury

If you live in Albury, your will is governed by the Succession Act 2006 (NSW). Like Victoria, NSW requires a written document signed before two witnesses, but the two states part ways on the documents that surround the will: NSW uses an enduring power of attorney for financial matters and a separate appointment of enduring guardian for health and lifestyle decisions, where Victoria rolls personal matters into its own regime. Family provision claims also run on different rules and different time limits. A will that was drafted for the wrong state, or that ignores assets over the border, is a common and avoidable problem here.

Harris Lieberman has practised on the border since 1886. We draft your will under the law that actually applies to you, and structure it so it works even when your assets and family span both states.

What we prepare with your will

• Your will. Executors, gifts, the residue of your estate, guardianship of children under 18, and structures for blended families, drafted to hold up if challenged.
• Enduring power of attorney (NSW). Who manages your finances if you cannot, and on what terms.
• Appointment of enduring guardian (NSW). Who makes health, accommodation and lifestyle decisions for you if you lose capacity.
• Superannuation nominations. Super usually passes outside your will. We align binding death benefit nominations with the rest of the plan so nothing works against you.

Dying without a will in NSW

If you die without a valid will, the intestacy rules in the Succession Act decide who inherits, in a fixed order that takes no account of what you wanted or what your family needs. For blended families in particular, the statutory formula routinely produces results nobody would have chosen. A straightforward will avoids all of it.

Assets on both sides of the Murray

An Albury resident with a rental property in Wodonga, or a business registered in Victoria, has an estate that touches two legal systems. We deal with this every week: one will, drafted to operate across both states, with the powers of attorney and guardianship documents each state needs. If you are on the Victorian side, start with our wills in Wodonga page.

Next step

Most wills take two short appointments. Read about our broader wills and estate planning services and our estate planning work, or contact us to book a time at our office at 87 Hume Street, Wodonga, five minutes from the Albury CBD.