by Alex McDonald | Nov 8, 2024 | Trust Barrister Auckland
New Zealand in the 1990s and 2000s went through a boom in the creation of family trusts. A big part of it was parents establishing trusts to protect the family home and other assets for their children. Many of those trusts are now coming to fruition as the parents...
by Alex McDonald | May 2, 2024 | Divorce Property Lawyer, Relationship Property
What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine: Who gets the beach house? by Alex McDonald | May 2, 2024 | Divorce Property Lawyer Most people understand that the family home gets divided equally when couples decide to divorce. But what happens when divorce...
by Alex McDonald | May 1, 2024 | Divorce Property Lawyer, Relationship Property
DIVORCE PROPERTY DISPUTE: WHEN house prices GO UP, WHO GETS THE increaseD value of separate property? It’s no news to anyone that the value of New Zealand properties rose steeply over the last 20 years, and might lurch upwards again. In relationship property...
by Alex McDonald | Apr 28, 2024 | Estate Litigation Barrister
Time Limits for making claims against estates are brutal by Alex McDonald | Apr 28, 2024 | Estate Litigation Barrister The Family Protection Act 1955 allows children, including biological and estranged children as well as stepchildren who were living with the deceased...
by Alex McDonald | Apr 21, 2024 | Divorce Property Lawyer, Relationship Property
Who gets the dog? … and other divorce property questions answered by Alex McDonald | Apr 21, 2024 | Divorce Property Lawyer My husband owned a home before our relationship began. During our relationship we used that home as a rental and used the rent income to pay for...
by Alex McDonald | Apr 21, 2024 | Trust Barrister Auckland
The case of Addleman v Lambie[1] gave the Court of Appeal an opportunity to apply Erceg[2] to a fresh set of facts. THE FACTS Prudence Addleman and her sister, Annette Jamieson were estranged sisters. They were the only living final beneficiaries of the Lambie Trust...
by Alex McDonald | Apr 19, 2024 | Elder Law Lawyer
Selling the Family Home when Mum or Dad has Alzheimer’s by Alex McDonald | Apr 19, 2024 | Elder Law Lawyer It’s the family home. Mum, who has Alzheimer’s, lives there on her own but needs to move to a nursing home and the family home needs to be sold to pay for the...
by Alex McDonald | Apr 15, 2024 | Trust Barrister Auckland
WHAT ARE TRUSTEES? Trustees are the people who are in charge of the money or other property which is the subject of the trust – usually there are two or more trustees but sometimes there is only one. For all trusts, the trustees receive the trust property from someone...
by Alex McDonald | Apr 14, 2024 | Family Lawyer, Relationship Property
When it’s time to say ‘me too’: family violence, property and protection orders by Alex McDonald | Apr 14, 2024 | Family Lawyer What is family violence? Family violence is often hidden but it affects adults and children across all age groups, ethnicities and...
by Alex McDonald | Mar 21, 2024 | Estate Litigation Barrister
Dividing Relationship Property after Death by Alex McDonald | Mar 21, 2024 | Estate Litigation Barrister What can I do if my spouse or partner has died leaving a will that leaves me with nothing or doesn’t adequately provide for me? The most important thing to know...
Recent Comments