When you have just lost someone, the paperwork should not compound the grief. Michael handles the grant of probate and the administration of the estate personally — clearly, carefully, and at a pace that respects what your family is going through.
From the application to the Supreme Court of NSW through to the final distribution, Michael handles the estate himself — court filings, notices, banks and institutions, and the questions that come up along the way, all explained in plain English.
For straightforward probate and estate administration, legal costs are generally payable from the estate itself, not from your own pocket — and you always receive a written costs agreement before anything begins. That is the part most firms leave vague; we would rather you know exactly where you stand.
Most of the families Michael assists are local — Castle Hill, Kellyville, Baulkham Hills, Bella Vista, Rouse Hill and the surrounding Hills District — with appointments at the Norwest office, by phone or by video across Sydney and NSW.
Tell Michael what has happened. He will explain whether a grant is needed, what documents to gather, and what the process looks like for your estate.
Before any work begins you receive a clear, written costs agreement — fixed fees where the scope of the estate allows, and costs generally payable from the estate.
Court filings, notices, institutions, distributions — handled personally and reported to you in plain English, while you look after your family.
Not always. Whether a grant is needed depends on what the deceased owned and how it was held. Banks and other institutions each set their own thresholds before requiring a grant, and jointly held assets often pass to the survivor without one. Real estate held in the deceased's sole name generally does require a grant. Michael can usually tell you in the first call whether a grant is likely to be needed.
Every estate is different. Once the paperwork is in order, a straightforward, uncontested application to the Supreme Court of NSW usually takes a few weeks to prepare and file, and the grant often issues within weeks of filing. Administering the estate afterwards — gathering assets, paying debts and distributing to beneficiaries — commonly takes several months. Michael keeps you informed at every stage.
Where someone dies without a will, a close relative — usually the next of kin — applies for letters of administration rather than probate, and the estate is distributed according to NSW's intestacy rules. The process is similar to probate, with extra steps to establish who is entitled to apply and to inherit. Michael handles these applications and can explain who may apply in your family's circumstances.
For straightforward probate and estate administration, legal costs are generally payable from the estate rather than from your own pocket, and Michael provides a written costs agreement before any work begins. Court filing fees in NSW are set on a published scale according to the value of the estate. Estate disputes are different — costs there depend on the matter, and are explained honestly at the outset.
Once probate is granted, the sale has its own set of steps. The transmission application, the ATO clearance certificate and the timing.
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Read article →No cost, no obligation — just a clear explanation of what the estate needs and what happens next.