News and views

The recent collapses of construction companies have taken many in the industry by surprise, particularly subcontractors who were owed retention moneys.

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.

The Queenstown Lakes District Council’s much-anticipated District Plan changes to short-term visitor accommodation – including the likes of Airbnb and Bookabach – have been confirmed, with the new rules already in effect.

Our new Practice Manager, legal project management specialist Cindy Laberge, was pretty much sold on joining Aspiring Law – before she’d as much as spoken to anyone in our team.