Estate Planning Lawyers in Melbourne
Specialist estate planning for high-net-worth individuals, professionals and business owners in Victoria. Fixed-fee packages with principal lawyer oversight — from testamentary trusts to SMSF succession and multi-entity wealth protection.
The Problem
Why Generic Wills Fail High-Net-Worth Families
Most Australians understand the importance of having a Will. What many fail to appreciate — until it is too late — is that a standard Will is a blunt instrument wholly inadequate for protecting substantial wealth. A Will that simply says "I leave everything to my spouse, and if they predecease me, equally to my children" may be sufficient for modest estates. For families with significant assets, it is a recipe for wealth erosion.
Consider the scale of what is at stake. If your combined estate — including property, superannuation, investments, business interests and personal assets — exceeds $1 million, a standard Will exposes your family to a series of compounding risks that erode the wealth you have spent a lifetime building:
- No asset protection: Assets distributed outright to beneficiaries are immediately exposed to that beneficiary's creditors, business liabilities and relationship breakdowns
- No tax planning: A standard Will triggers whatever tax consequences arise from direct ownership, with no mechanism to access the preferential tax treatment available through testamentary trusts
- No managed succession: Beneficiaries receive their inheritance in full, regardless of their age, maturity, or financial capability
- No superannuation coordination: Your Will alone does not control your superannuation. Without coordinated succession planning, death benefits may not reach your intended beneficiaries, or may attract unnecessary taxation
- No business continuity: For business owners, a standard Will provides no mechanism for orderly succession of business interests, potentially forcing a fire sale or triggering shareholder disputes
Estate planning is not merely Will drafting. It is the creation of a comprehensive legal framework that addresses how your wealth is held, protected, transferred and taxed across multiple asset classes and legal structures. This is the work that WealthShield Legal specialises in.
Our Services
What Comprehensive Estate Planning Covers
A comprehensive estate plan from WealthShield Legal addresses every legal dimension of your wealth succession. Each element is coordinated with the others to create a cohesive strategy, not a collection of isolated documents.
Testamentary Trust Wills
The cornerstone of modern estate planning. Testamentary trust Wills direct your estate into protective trust structures upon death, shielding inherited assets from creditors, family law claims, and bankruptcy while providing potential tax advantages for your beneficiaries.
Learn about testamentary trusts →SMSF Succession Planning
Superannuation does not automatically form part of your estate. We address the legal aspects of SMSF succession — binding death benefit nominations, reversionary pensions, and coordination between your SMSF trust deed and your Will — to help ensure death benefits reach your intended beneficiaries.
Learn about SMSF planning →Asset Protection Structures
We review and advise on the legal aspects of trust structures, company structures, and estate planning mechanisms designed to protect your wealth from foreseeable risks — including professional liability, commercial creditors, and family law exposure.
Learn about asset protection →Powers of Attorney
Enduring Powers of Attorney (Financial) and Medical Treatment Decision Maker appointments ensure that someone you trust can manage your financial affairs and make healthcare decisions if you lose capacity. These documents are essential components of any estate plan. Read our guide to enduring powers of attorney in Victoria.
Business Succession Planning
For business owners, we address the legal aspects of succession — shareholder and partnership agreements, buy-sell provisions, trusteeship succession for family trusts, and the interaction between business structures and your estate plan. See our article on estate planning for business owners in Victoria.
Blended Family Planning
Balancing the interests of a current partner and children from a prior relationship requires careful legal structuring. We use testamentary trusts and life interest provisions to provide for your surviving partner while ensuring your capital ultimately passes to your children. Read about blended family estate planning.
Our Clients
Who We Serve: Estate Planning for Melbourne's Professionals
WealthShield Legal works exclusively with clients who require sophisticated estate planning solutions. Our practice is not designed for simple Wills — it is built for complex estates that demand experienced legal oversight and careful structuring.
High-Net-Worth Individuals and Families
Clients with estates exceeding $2 million typically benefit from testamentary trust structures, coordinated superannuation succession, and multi-layered asset protection. Your wealth may be distributed across property, shares, managed funds, superannuation, and private business interests — each requiring specific legal attention within your estate plan.
Medical and Legal Professionals
Doctors, surgeons, dentists, lawyers, accountants and other professionals face heightened personal liability risks. A comprehensive estate plan ensures that wealth transferred to your beneficiaries is structured to withstand claims that may arise from your professional practice or your beneficiaries' own careers. Learn more in our guide for professionals in Victoria.
Business Owners and Directors
If you operate a business — whether as a sole trader, through a company, in a partnership, or via a trust — your estate plan must address business succession alongside personal succession. This includes shareholder agreements, trusteeship succession, key-person provisions, and the interaction between your business structures and your Will. See our business owner estate planning guide.
SMSF Trustees
Self-managed super fund members with significant balances face unique succession challenges. Superannuation does not pass under your Will unless properly coordinated. We address the legal aspects of binding death benefit nominations, reversionary pensions, and the interaction between your SMSF trust deed and your Will. Explore our SMSF estate planning services.
Blended Families
Second marriages and blended families create competing obligations that a standard Will cannot resolve. Our testamentary trust structures balance the provision for a surviving partner against the preservation of capital for children from a prior relationship, reducing the risk of contested estates and family disputes. Read our blended family planning guide.
Our Approach
How Our Estate Planning Process Works
Our process is designed to be thorough, transparent and efficient. Every estate plan follows a structured methodology that ensures no element of your wealth is overlooked.
Step 1: Free Assessment
We begin with a complimentary assessment to understand the broad contours of your estate — asset types, family structure, business interests, superannuation, and your key objectives. This allows us to recommend the appropriate package and provide you with a fixed-fee quote before any work commences.
Step 2: Detailed Instructions
A comprehensive consultation where we gather detailed instructions on your assets, liabilities, family circumstances, existing structures (trusts, companies, SMSFs), and your specific wishes. We identify potential risks and discuss the legal options available to address them.
Step 3: Strategic Planning
We develop your estate plan strategy, considering the interaction between your Will, superannuation, business structures, and asset protection objectives. Where appropriate, we coordinate with your accountant and financial adviser to ensure alignment across all professional disciplines.
Note: WealthShield Legal provides legal services only. We do not provide financial or tax advice. Where your estate plan intersects with financial planning or taxation, we recommend that you engage a licensed financial adviser and/or registered tax agent.
Step 4: Drafting and Review
Your estate plan documents are drafted by a principal lawyer. You receive a full draft for review, with a detailed explanation of each provision and its purpose. We make any amendments required before finalising the documents.
Step 5: Execution and Implementation
We guide you through the formal execution of your Will and related documents, ensuring all legal requirements are met. We also provide guidance on any implementation steps — such as updating superannuation nominations or amending trust deeds — that may be required to give full effect to your estate plan.
Fixed-Fee Packages
Estate Planning Packages and Pricing
Every engagement is quoted on a fixed-fee basis. You know the total cost before we begin, with no hourly rates or hidden charges.
Testamentary Trust Package
- Testamentary Trust Will
- Enduring Power of Attorney (Financial)
- Medical Treatment Decision Maker
- Memorandum of Wishes
- Legal review of super death benefit nomination
- Principal lawyer drafting and review
Ideal for estates of $1M–$3M seeking core testamentary trust protection.
Begin Free AssessmentComprehensive Estate Plan
- Everything in the Testamentary Trust Package
- Multiple testamentary trusts
- Legal aspects of SMSF succession planning
- Business succession planning (legal aspects)
- Review of existing trust and company structures
- Coordination with your financial adviser
Ideal for professionals and business owners with estates of $3M–$10M.
Begin Free AssessmentBespoke Wealth Strategy
- Everything in the Comprehensive Estate Plan
- Complex multi-entity estate planning
- Cross-border succession law considerations
- Charitable trust structuring (legal aspects)
- Ongoing coordination with financial and tax advisers
- Priority service with dedicated principal lawyer
Ideal for high-net-worth individuals with estates exceeding $10M.
Begin Free AssessmentFrequently Asked Questions
Estate Planning FAQs
An estate planning lawyer helps you create a comprehensive legal framework for the transfer of your wealth on death and during incapacity. This includes drafting Wills (including testamentary trust Wills), Powers of Attorney, Medical Treatment Decision Maker appointments, and advising on the legal aspects of superannuation succession, business succession, and asset protection structures.
At WealthShield Legal, our fixed-fee estate planning packages start from $3,300 + GST per person for our Testamentary Trust Package, $5,500 + GST for the Comprehensive Estate Plan, and $8,800 + GST for the Bespoke Wealth Strategy. The appropriate package depends on the complexity of your estate. We provide a fixed-fee quote after your free initial assessment.
A standard Will simply names who receives your assets and appoints an executor. It provides no ongoing asset protection for beneficiaries, no tax planning opportunities, and no mechanism to manage distributions. For estates involving significant assets, business interests, superannuation, or complex family structures, a standard Will leaves substantial wealth exposed to avoidable risks including creditor claims, family law exposure, and unnecessary taxation.
For estates involving testamentary trusts, superannuation succession, business structures, or asset protection, specialist knowledge is essential. General solicitors may be able to prepare a simple Will, but the interaction between succession law, trust law, superannuation law, and taxation provisions requires a lawyer with focused expertise. Errors in complex estate planning documents can create costly disputes and unintended consequences.
A comprehensive estate plan from WealthShield Legal typically includes: testamentary trust Will(s), Enduring Powers of Attorney (Financial), Medical Treatment Decision Maker appointments, Memorandum of Wishes, legal review of superannuation death benefit nominations, legal aspects of SMSF succession planning, business succession planning (legal components), and a review of existing trust and company structures relevant to your estate.
We recommend reviewing your estate plan every 3 to 5 years, or whenever a significant life event occurs — such as marriage, separation, birth of a child, acquisition of substantial assets, changes to superannuation, commencing or selling a business, or changes to relevant legislation. An outdated estate plan can be as problematic as having no plan at all.
Yes. We provide the legal aspects of SMSF succession planning, including reviewing and advising on binding death benefit nominations, reversionary pension nominations, and the interaction between your SMSF trust deed and your Will. We coordinate with your financial adviser and accountant to ensure alignment. We do not provide financial advice on SMSF investments or strategy — we recommend engaging a licensed financial adviser for this.
Further Reading
Related Articles & Services
Explore our in-depth guides on specific estate planning topics:
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