What is probate, and why do I need it?

Josh Crowther is a lawyer in the Taree office of Stacks Law Firm and an Accredited Specialist in Wills & Estates by the Law Society of NSW. He joined Stacks in 2011 and is now the Practice Manager of a very busy wills and estates practice in Taree. He holds a Masters of Applied Law (Wills & Estates) from the College of Law in addition to his Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts Communications (Honours). The professional accreditation Josh holds is awarded following intensive studies and examinations and is notoriously difficult to attain. There are roughly 65 Accredited Specialists (Wills & Estates) in NSW, out of a pool of about 67,000 admitted lawyers in the state. Josh deals with both simple and complex estate matters and makes hundreds of applications for Probate or Letters of Administration each year. He is well versed in making complex applications to the Supreme Court regarding contentious wills - for example, when people have limited capacity to make a will - and has made dozens of applications to the Supreme Court for statutory wills. These are wills for people who lack capacity, for example, as a result of an injury. Josh handles family provision matters, acting for executors when defending wills, or acting for claimants against wills. He conducts mediations in Sydney on a regular basis. The client advice Josh provides encompasses both simple and complex estate planning matters. He regularly advises on wills, Powers of Attorney and superannuation. He prepares numerous testamentary trust wills. These are complex wills to protect assets from a variety of situations, including bankruptcy, family relationship breakdown, divorce and children who are unable to deal with finances. Josh specialises in making wills for people in blended families. He always takes account of the complexities which often arise in relation to superannuation entitlements and policies. This includes providing advice and preparing binding and non-binding death benefit nominations for clients. Josh is always up-to-date with law changes and his comprehensive knowledge of the various pieces of legislation relating to his area of specialty benefits his estate planning clients. Over the years Josh has written numerous articles which have been published on legal websites, including Lawyers Weekly. He is regularly interviewed on ABC Radio for advice relating to wills and estates has also written a thesis about the tax consequences of creating life estates in wills. He often presents public seminars and attends nursing homes to provide free wealth protection advice. Josh has historically been an active sports participant, enjoying martial arts, rugby union, cricket and salsa. He now participates in occasional games of touch footy and water skiing. He has four young children and loves spending time with them. Josh is regularly at the beach with Nippers (junior activities with Surf Life Saving). He helps coach the Under 6 soccer team at his daughter’s local school and teaches ethics to children at the same primary school. Josh relishes raising ethical issues with children (and adults alike) in an attempt to ensure that people apply reason and logic to any decision being made. Josh is also a bookworm.