• properly administer the estate by collecting any income and getting any assets of the estate;
• publish a formal Notice of Intention to Distribute after one month from the date of publication, giving notice to creditors or others having claims against the estate;
• arrange for payment out of the proceeds of the estate of:
  

              *   funeral expenses
              *   costs and expenses of administration
              *   other debts of the deceased includibng tax
              *   specific gifts of money

• act with care and, in the interests of the beneficiaries, administering the estate in accordance with the Grant of Letters of Administration as quickly as possible.
• seek expert legal advice as to whether an eligible person under the Family Provisions legislation has reasonable grounds for making a claim.

From 1 March 2010 new laws commenced in New South Wales specifying how assets are to be divided between families when someone dies without a valid Will (intestate).

The changes are complex and cover situations including:

• Sharing assets between multiple partners/spouses
• Sharing assets between a de facto partner and a spouse
• Sharing assets between a de facto partner and a children
• Sharing assets between extended members of the family
• When a statutory formula is to be used
• Indigenous persons’ estates

For information and assistance on all estate management issues, please call or email a member of our Estates Team.