← Professional executor & trustee services across Australia
Families with wealth in more than one country rarely have simple estates. Assets sit under different legal systems, family members live on different continents, and every institution wants its own proof. The matters below — anonymised, with details changed — show how we bring order to that complexity, discreetly and with one point of contact.
1. An offshore estate with a portfolio of Australian assets
The situation. A client domiciled overseas died leaving a number of Australian assets. Their records across Australian institutions used several different versions of their name, reflecting naming conventions in their home country.
The complexity. No Australian institution would act without an Australian grant, and each needed to be satisfied that every record belonged to the same person. Evidence had to be sourced from abroad, from a different legal and cultural system, and presented in a form an Australian court and Australian institutions would accept.
Our role. We assembled and authenticated the overseas identity evidence, prepared the sworn material reconciling each version of the name, obtained the Australian grant, and then worked through each asset holder in turn — resolving each objection as it arose rather than passing the problem back to the family.
The result. The grant was obtained and the Australian estate administered, at a cost the family described as very reasonable for the work involved.
For larger estates: names, domicile and documents that are routine at home can stall an Australian administration for months. An executor who can source and authenticate overseas evidence — with an in-house notary — keeps the estate moving.
2. Next-generation heirs in Malaysia and prime Melbourne real estate
The situation. Two adult heirs living in Malaysia inherited their late father’s Melbourne CBD apartment and car space.
The complexity. The heirs could not readily travel to Australia. The title documents were held by another law firm, and Australian land transfers require strict, standards-based verification of identity — difficult to satisfy from overseas.
Our role. We engaged a lawyer in Malaysia to verify the heirs’ identities as our agent under the national verification-of-identity standard, secured their signed authorities, arranged for the title documents to be released to us, and prepared the transmission of both titles into the heirs’ names.
The result. The heirs have not needed to travel to Australia at any stage of the process.
For larger estates: when heirs live abroad, a trusted network of overseas lawyers is what lets Australian property pass smoothly — and privately — to the next generation.
3. Succession planning for an internationally mobile family
The situation. A father and his adult daughter, New Zealand citizens resident in Taiwan. The father holds Melbourne residential property and prefers to work in Mandarin.
The complexity. Three jurisdictions were in play — Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan — each with its own rules on succession and tax. The family needed to decide whether to sell during the father’s lifetime, hold the property for inheritance or transfer it now, and to make sure someone could act if he lost capacity while overseas.
Our role. We advised in Mandarin, worked alongside the family’s Taiwanese tax adviser on the options, and designed a Victorian Will and enduring power of attorney to sit alongside the family’s arrangements in Taiwan, with signing timed for their next visit to Melbourne.
The result. The family has a clear view of its options across the three jurisdictions, with the Australian documents to be signed during its next visit to Melbourne.
For larger estates: Australian assets should be planned in coordination with the family’s advisers abroad, not in isolation — and with an attorney and executor in Australia who can act if the owner cannot.
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