Can an estate grant be obtained without a lawyer? It’s a little tricky, but absolutely.

This is the third column in a series providing practical advice about the process.

Just because it’s possible to obtain an estate grant without the assistance of a lawyer doesn’t mean it’s something you should take on. It can be an incredibly frustrating process.I know from experience when I first started dealing with estates.

The few thousand dollars you pay a lawyer to look after it will be paid out of the estate, shared by all the beneficiaries.The ideal reason to give this a shot is where you are the sole beneficiary because you have an interest in keeping those few thousand dollars of legal fees for yourself rather than paying them to a lawyer.

I discussed identifying the last will in the first column in this of the series. In the second column I discussed who should make the application and explained the notice that must be provided at least 21 days before you submit your application to the court registry. This week, I will describe the documents that must be included in that application.

I’ll start with the easy ones. The original, and two photocopies, of the will are needed. Don’t........

© Castanet