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When a loved one dies in Queensland, families face both emotional and practical challenges. This guide outlines key steps: notifying family and services, arranging funerals, securing assets, locating the Will, applying for probate or letters of administration, administering the estate, and finalising affairs. Executors and administrators have legal duties and can seek a lawyer’s guidance, while also prioritising their own wellbeing.

When someone close to us passes away, the legal processes involved are often a great unknown. Amongst physical and emotional grief, applying for a Grant of Probate can feel overwhelming, especially when the person responsible for managing the estate doesn’t have the funds to cover legal or court costs upfront. So what can you do if you’ve been appointed as executor but don’t have access to money to take the first step?

Keeping your will safe is essential to ensuring your final wishes are respected and your loved ones are properly provided for after your death. Let's discover discover why safe storage of your Will is so important, your options for keeping it secure, and what could happen if things go wrong.

When a person passes away leaving a valid Will, their executor is generally responsible for applying for a Grant of Probate, a formal recognition by the Supreme Court of Queensland that the Will is legally valid and that the executor is authorised to administer the estate. A key requirement of this application is providing the Supreme Court with the original Will, of which there can only ever be one. But what happens if that original Will is lost and only a copy can be foun