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Hypothetical by Manny Wood published in the Coffs Coast Advocate on 13 June 2020. Larry has a child to his first marriage, Ken. Larry is now remarried to his second wife, Michelle. Larry makes a will appointing Ken and Michelle as his executors. He leaves his investment property to Ken and grants Michelle the right to reside in his home, in which they both live, for life. Ken then stands to receive Larry’s home when Michelle ceases to reside in the property. The rest of his estate is split equally between Ken and Michelle. When Larry dies at the age of 80, he has been married to Michelle [...]

Hypothetical by Manny Wood published in the Coffs Coast Advocate on 30 May 2020. Nina and Harry have been in a relationship for 25 years. They have two teenage daughters. During their relationship, Harry worked as a labourer and Nina worked full-time before the children were born and then returned to part-time employment. Nina receives an inheritance of $500,000 from her parent’s estate. Nina and Harry live in Nina’s unencumbered home until their relationship breaks-down and they separate. Harry moves-out and Nina continues to reside in the matrimonial home with their daughters. […]

On 24 April 2020, new legislation came into effect in NSW aimed at protecting eligible tenants under retail and commercial leases. Under the new Retail and Other Commercial Leases (COVID-19) Regulation 2020, between 24 April 2020 and 25 October 2020, if a tenant of a retail or commercial lease fails to pay rent, fails to pay outgoings (like rates, strata fees, etc), or is not open for business during the hours specified in the lease, the landlord cannot (among other things): […]

Hypothetical by Manny Wood published in the Coffs Coast Advocate on 23 May 2020. Amelia suffered brain damage at birth causing severe cognitive impairment and severe communication impairment. Amelia’s parents separated two years after her birth. They have since remarried and both have had two more children. Amelia’s mother, Carol was her primary carer during her childhood. Both of Carol’s children to her new partner have a loving relationship with Amelia. […]

Hypothetical by Manny Wood published in the Coffs Coast Advocate on 2 May 2020. Caitlin and her de facto partner, Tom, were employed as job recruiters by their family company. They worked from home and had two dependent children. Unfortunately, Caitlin fell victim to paranoid delusions and was convinced that Tom was conspiring with another agency to take her clients and undermine her career. She also suspected him of spying on her and recording their conversations. […]