News and views

It was quite the surreal situation ... the former Prime Minister in the dock – not as a star witness, but as a defendant. How paradoxical that such an accomplished luminary – someone who’d once run the entire country – was accused of failing so terribly in her governance of a construction company.

If you are a Legal Assistant with a minimum one year of experience looking to join a law firm that models what it means to be a valued team member, we are looking for you.

Your business is growing and heading in the right direction – but at the same time you have new responsibilities and risks.

Most people are now aware of the importance of having an enduring power of attorney (EPA). If you are unable to make decisions for yourself at any stage (either temporarily or longer term) it is important there is someone in place to act on your behalf. What happens to you, and your family situation, if you have no EPA?

In the last edition of Off the Record, we began exploring what can be a highly contentious issue: challenging a Will. As I outlined in Challenging a Will: Part 1, there are two main legal grounds on which someone can question a Will. The first, which we explored in Part 1, is that the Will’s legal validity is disputed.

After 25-odd years, I’ve lost count of the cases I’ve seen where people would wager a vital organ they haven’t put a single legal foot wrong. In reality, they’re marinating in wrongdoing, risk and liability.

When a marriage, civil union or de facto relationship breaks down, the couple will usually divide their property according to the Property (Relationships) Act 1976 (the PRA). However, these two people often hold property in a trust rather than personally.

If you’re in business and employ staff, there is a raft of newly-implemented and incoming employment changes – and, you need to be not only across them, but actively prepared.