Essential guide to wills and estates practice
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Bundle Overview
Want to draft and execute your clients’ wills and estates with confidence and clarity?
This course bundle will build your capabilities across four essential – and practical – modules. You’ll learn:
- How to draft a valid will and minimise negligence claims
- The processes, complexities and risks when dealing with probate
- How to administer a deceased estate and distribute assets
- The intricacies of power of attorney – and how to draft a general power of attorney
You may be an early-career lawyer wanting to build foundational knowledge. Or perhaps you’re a senior lawyer looking to test and sharpen your expertise.
Either way, you’ll walk away with practical skills to guide your clients with care and compassion. And provide them with certainty through challenging times.
Each bundle is delivered with jurisdictional specific content. A sample of the NSW bundle content is below. Please choose your preferred jurisdiction when adding this bundle to your cart.
INCLUDED COURSES
More and more negligence claims are being brought against solicitors in relation to wills and will drafting. In fact, did you know that over 50% of wills in Australia are contested?
So now, more than ever, it’s critical you follow a precise, methodical approach when taking instructions and drafting wills on behalf of your clients.
This course will teach you how to correctly draft wills, minimise negligence claims and tailor each will to your clients’ needs and circumstances.
You’ll learn about:
- Will requirements
- Receiving instructions
- Executing wills
- Common pitfalls to avoid
You’ll gain the skills you need to give clients peace of mind that you’re fully prepared to execute their will – exactly as they planned.
The course contains content that falls within the mandatory CPD categories of Professional Skills and Substantive Law.
Course Structure
- Getting started: will requirements
- Receiving instructions
- Explaining the legal issues
- Drafting the will or codicil
- Executing the will
When a person dies, it usually falls upon family or close friends to deal with their estate.
Yet grief often makes it difficult for them to know where to start. Nor do they have the expertise to understand the intricacies involved.
Upskill in probate law to provide clarity and certainty during these challenging times.
This course will guide you through the processes, complexities and risks when dealing with probate. You’ll learn how to distribute the assets of the estate according to the requirements of the will.
At the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Advise clients on the probate process
- Source the necessary details from clients to progress an application for probate
- Prepare the documents required for a probate application
- Follow the steps to file a probate application
The course contains content that falls within the mandatory CPD category of Professional Skills.
Course Structure
- Getting started
- Receiving instructions
- Commencing proceedings
- Drafting and affirming the affidavit of the executor
- Filing the application for grant of probate
The administration of a deceased estate can be a complex and challenging time for the loved one's family and friends.
To guide them through this period, you can provide peace of mind by taking care of two important processes:
- The orderly payment of the liabilities of the deceased person (including tax liabilities) from the estate assets.
- The distribution of the remaining assets to the beneficiaries according to the terms of the will. (Or, if there is no will, according to the statutory order applicable upon intestacy.)
This course will equip you with guidelines to follow when instructed to administer a deceased estate. You’ll know which processes to follow when the deceased person dies leaving a valid will (testate) or without leaving a valid will (intestate).
At the end of this course, you’ll know how to:
- Order each step in the administration of estate process
- Summarise the role and responsibilities of a personal representative
- Collate the required documents to complete the administration of estate process
The course contains content that falls within the mandatory CPD category of Professional Skills.
Course Structure
- Getting started – knowing the basics
- Advising the client
- Administration of the estate
- Administration of assets
- Distribution to beneficiaries
Powers of attorney are becoming more prevalent in Australia. This is due to our ageing population – as well as other social trends such as increased wealth and complex family dynamics.
By drafting a power of attorney document, you’ll prepare a robust plan for your clients when they’re unable to make decisions themselves.
This course will guide you through the processes, complexities and risks when dealing with this substitute decision-making instrument.
You’ll provide your clients with peace of mind that someone they trust will pay their bills, manage their assets, and handle their legal and financial affairs. (Like making key decisions around banking, real estate, insurance, investments, pension and gifts.)
You’ll learn about general and enduring powers of attorney – and the advantages of each. And you’ll help your clients ensure a trusted person is able to manage their affairs when they’re at their most vulnerable.
The course contains content that falls within the mandatory CPD category of Professional Skills.
Course Structure
- Key terms and principles
- Client interview: getting instructions
- Formal requirements
- Rights and responsibilities
- Drafting a general power of attorney
- Advising on an enduring power of attorney
I found this course quite challenging, but have learnt much more about the practical part than I ever did during university.
On-demand CPD Learner
Straightforward. Easy to understand.
On-demand CPD Learner
RELATED COURSES
Administration of estates: Step-by-step guide
COLLABORATIVE PRACTICE
Drafting Wills: Practice Guide
Probate applications: Step-by-step guide
Powers of attorney: Step-by-step guide
Powers of attorney in practice (NSW)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
This bundle will benefit:
- Lawyers wanting to build practical foundational knowledge and skills
- Established lawyers looking to move into this area of law or who do occasional work in this area
- Senior lawyers looking to confirm their knowledge and stay up to date
- Paralegals, clerks and administrative staff wanting to upskill
With our online on-demand interactive courses, you can learn when and where it suits you. We’ve designed each course to have both practical learning outcomes and be easy to navigate.
Each course offers a mix of engaging exercises, where you’ll gain access to:
- Interactive activities to challenge your understanding and put your knowledge to the test. You’ll also enjoy engaging exercises, such as flip cards, quizzes and drafting activities.
- Clearly identified outcomes so you know precisely what you’ll learn – and the skills you’ll gain. You’ll also be able to track your development and focus on key improvement areas.
- Extended course access so you can reference the material as you need – or revisit it should life get in the way.
- Feedback and template answers so you can refine your skills, grow your knowledge and gain fresh insights.
Each on-demand bundle contains four in-depth learning resources so you can boost your essential knowledge and skills across a practice area – more affordably.
With a bundle, you’ll earn eight CPD points, while saving 40% on the single courses.
Go in-depth as you comprehensively explore a specific practice area. Learn interactively across engaging formats like step-by-step guides, practice guides and skill series. And gain helpful learning resources you can reference when you encounter similar situations in practice.
Access each module on the College’s learning portal. When you buy a single, you’ll have 24/7 unlimited access for 12-months from the date of purchase.
Does this educational activity extend your knowledge and skills in areas that are relevant to your practice needs or professional development?
If so, and you’re not a WA practitioner, you should claim 1 unit for each hour of participation, not including breaks.
Please check your local CPD rules for any caps on activity types, such as the private study of non-interactive audio/visual materials. You are responsible for keeping your own CPD records and complying with your local CPD rules.
No. Western Australian practitioners who complete our on-demand courses are currently unable to claim CPD points.
However, you may earn CPD points by attending select live CPD events or by completing select CPD Interactive modules.
Yes, if your organisation has multiple employees looking to enrol in any of the College of Law’s courses, please contact us to discuss the corporate rates available.
A digital subscription is our most popular option for firms, with pricing designed to accommodate teams of various sizes:
- $1,399 per year - 5 user pack (Save $1,096) - Use discount code FLEX5
- $1,799 per year - 10 user pack (Save $3,191) - Use discount code FLEX10
- For teams of 10 or more users, please contact us directly for personalised pricing tailored to your organisation's needs
You can also learn more here.
CPD requirements generally begin from the first full CPD year after your admission as a practising lawyer. This means that if you’ve recently completed your Practical Legal Training (PLT) and been admitted, you typically won’t need to start earning CPD points until the next CPD cycle.
However, requirements can vary by jurisdiction, so it’s best to check with your local law society.
