News and views

Most laws tend to have initial bedding-in challenges. In the case of the new foreign buyer legislation, it’s the failure by would-be buyers to complete a crucial new form – an oversight so significant, it’s already derailing sales and causing financial grief.

For wills to be valid they must comply with a number of legal formalities; they must be in writing and there must be two witnesses who must attest to the will-maker signing the will in their presence.

When your employee becomes ill, or has an injury, with long-term effects, it takes not only a toll on them of course, but also on you as their employer as there is sometimes quite a disruption to your business.

We Kiwis love our real estate – in my experience, though, there are some who aren’t quite so enamoured with the checks and balances needed when buying a property.

It has been estimated that there are between 300,000-500,000 trusts in this country. Trusts have been established for many different reasons, including estate planning, creditor protection, to ensure access to rest home subsidies, tax benefits or for protection from relationship property claims.

Invercargill City Council’s decision earlier this year to abruptly close the Southland Museum and Art Gallery shone the spotlight back on earthquake strengthening, and serves as a reminder to all owners and occupiers of commercial buildings of the new laws now at play.

If you have a family trust set up a number of years ago, it’s good practice to review it to ensure it is still ‘fit for purpose’. Leading on from that is the question that is often asked of us, “Should I bring my trust to an end?”

Julia Hunt, our trainee Legal Executive, has just received her results for her final New Zealand Diploma in Legal Executive Studies exams - straight A-plusses, no less.