Conveyancing & Property

Whether you are buying or selling a home, investment property or commercial property, property transactions can be complex especially when unexpected problems arise. The right advice at the right time is critical.

This is where Lukaitis Lawyers can provide you with peace of mind. Our experienced property team, led by Joseph and Julie Lukaitis, has an excellent knowledge of the relevant legislation and common law principles, with many years of conveyancing and general property practice.

We are electronic conveyancing experts under the new PEXA regime, introduced in 2018. Three of our staff are PEXA experts and have completed hundreds of PEXA settlements to date. It is essential that you use PEXA experts in your conveyancing matters.

Our property team is able to provide assistance and advice in all areas of property, including:

• Residential conveyancing – sales and purchases
  • Auction sale contracts
  • Off-the-Plan purchases
• Acquisition of property by trusts and superannuation funds
• Commercial and industrial property sales and purchases
• Commercial leases
• Compulsory acquisitions
• Preparation of contracts and vendor statements for private sale and auction
• Subdivisions, easements and covenants
• Mortgage loans
• Lost title applications
• Owners Corporation issues

Conveyancing – Why use a Lawyer?

The complexity of conveyancing requires skill and expertise. A thorough legal knowledge and understanding of the relevant legislation is critical to properly protecting a person’s rights. Conveyancers may not have legal qualifications, or be relatively under-qualified and unregulated. Their services may be slightly cheaper, but “you get what you pay for”.

At Lukaitis Lawyers, you can rest assured that you will receive quality legal work, supervised and administered by qualified lawyers at a reasonable price.

Contact Julie Lukaitis, Natasha Aleksic or Melissa O’Keefe

Deceased Estates

A death in the family or loss of a loved one can be one of the most stressful times in one’s life. Regardless of the executor’s needs, our approach is always to ensure that we are relieving, rather than adding to any emotional burden.

We are able to advise and assist on a range of matters that arise after the death of a loved one.

We advise on important matters such as:

• Probate and administration of estates
• Applications for Executor’s commission
• Superannuation and insurance entitlements
• The type of probate applications to be made
• Dealing with creditors
• Transferring properties
• Interpreting Wills
• Locating missing beneficiaries
• Claims made against the estate, including ‘Testators Family Maintenance Claims’*
• Allegations of undue influence and lack of testamentary capacity.

*Relationships today are extremely complex. This can give rise to rights in respect of a person’s deceased estate, which may be contrary to what is outlined in a Will. These claims are known as ‘Testator’s Family Maintenance Claims’.

We have experience and expertise in advising and acting for executors, beneficiaries of Wills and claimants to estates who have been excluded from Wills.

Contact Joseph Lukaitis, Melissa O’Keefe or Olivia Kennedy 

Leasing

Whether you have a leasing problem or an opportunity to lease, we provide practical commercial advice and assistance for all personal, commercial, retail and industrial leasing issues.

We provide the following services:

• Advising landlords and tenants on retail and commercial leases and negotiating terms
• Drafting and negotiating commercial leases
• Drafting Disclosure Statements
• Assisting landlords and tenants with due diligence

Commercial and retail leases are regulated by complex legislation and common law principles. Lukaitis Lawyers has many years of experience and extensive knowledge in all aspects relating to commercial leases.

Contact: Joseph Lukaitis and Olivia Kennedy

Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Lukaitis Lawyers can advise you on how to resolve disputes quickly, effectively and in a cost-effective manner.

We have significant experience in conducting cases in all Victorian and Commonwealth courts, tribunals and boards.

Disputes and their resolution can be burdensome on a business and cause emotional and financial strain on an individual. Dispute resolution often requires financial expenditure, the diversion of valuable time and the unprofitable use of business resources. The effective management of disputes – large or small – is a hallmark of an efficient business.

We specialise in:

• Contracts
• Debt recovery
• Deceased estates
• Franchising
• Insurance
• Intellectual property disputes
• Leases
• Partnerships
• Planning and Zoning and VCAT applications
• Property
• Professional negligence
• Trusts

Do not allow your legal problem or dispute to deteriorate. The earlier it is dealt with, the sooner it will be resolved, and the sooner you will be able to refocus on creating positive income and business building activities.

Contact: Joseph Lukaitis, Melissa O’Keefe or Demi Chapman

Notarial Services

Lukaitis Lawyers can assist you in all areas requiring notarial services.
Joseph Lukaitis is a senior notary, the immediate Past President of The Australian and New Zealand College of Notaries, and immediate Past Chairman of its Board of Governors.
He is a leading Australian expert in notarial services and is able to deal with any notarial matters.
Joseph is a Past President of the Society of Notaries of Victoria and currently lectures in notarial studies both in Australia and internationally.

Notary Appointments

It is necessary to make an appointment if you require notarial services. You must bring photographic identification with you.

Please contact Nikita Keys to arrange an appointment.

Fees
Notarial fees vary according to the number and type of documents required. The base fee for a notarial certificate is $165.00 plus GST. We are able to provide you with a more accurate cost estimate if you send your documents and any other relevant information to legal@lukaitislawyers.com.au. Kindly note that fees are payable on the day of service. 

Click here for further information on document authentication.

Click here to visit the Society of Notaries of Victoria fee schedule

Foreign Documents
Do you have an Australian document which you need to use in another country? Or an overseas document to be signed in Australia? Whether it is powers of attorney, business contracts, medical documents, a transfer of land, estate documents, court documents or simply providing certified copies of documents, such as certificates of birth, death or marriage, you will require the services of a Notary Public.

What is a Notary?
Notaries Public are senior lawyers with a special post-graduate qualification to prepare, authenticate, attest, witness and certify original and copy legal documents for use overseas. They verify the validity of documents and identities of persons signing a document under Australian laws. This is a critically important legal function, as it enables documents to be internationally recognised by foreign governments and validly used in another country.

The Hague Convention
Under the Hague Convention Abolishig the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents of 1961, the office and seal of a notary is internationally recognised. Joseph Lukaitis was duly appointed Notary Public for the State of Victoria in 1992 and can provide this important service. He can advise you on the type of certification required, and whether any other documents are needed.

The Role of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Even after a document is notarised it may still need to be legalised with an Apostille or authentication stamp affixed to it by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (“DFAT”) before being sent overseas. An Apostille is a stamp DFAT affixes to the notarised document confirming the validity of the Notary. We are able to advise you which countries require which type of legalisation.

Photographic Identification (ID) 
It is essential that photographic identification by way of passport or driver’s licence is provided by you before documents can be notarised. As not all countries are signatories to the Hague Convention we are able to advise you of the likely requirements of any particular country. You will need to provide evidence of your current address.

Contact: Joseph Lukaitis and Nikita Keys 

Superannuation

At Lukaitis Lawyers we have specialist resources to help you with superannuation and financial planning.

As government funded pensions continue to dwindle in real terms, people are increasingly looking to funding their own retirements. For most, this will mean saving and investing in superannuation funds. Whether you are a member of a larger fund or involved in a Do-It-Yourself Fund – you will need guidance and advice.

We work closely with our clients’ accountants and financial planners to advise on:

• Self managed super funds
• Transition to retirement pensions
• Acquisition of property by super funds
• Property custody trusts
• Superannuation structuring
• Compliance requirements
• Establishment and variation of superannuation deeds
• Binding Death Benefit Nominations
• Permitted investments by superannuation trustees

Contact Joseph Lukaitis and Natasha Aleksic

Trusts

We are experienced in trust law, matters arising out of trust administration and trust deed operation.

Lukaitis Lawyers is able to provide the following services:

• Preparing a wide variety of trust deeds, including testamentary trusts in wills
• Reviewing trust deeds and advising on the rights and obligations of parties pursuant to the trust deed
• Amending trust deeds (e.g. to change the beneficiaries, or to insert additional trustee powers)
• Preparing documentation required for the retirement of a trustee, appointment of a new trustee and transferring property and other assets to the new trustee
• Splitting trusts (splitting an existing trust into two or more new trusts)

What is a trust?
A trust is a well-accepted legal arrangement where a person (known as the “trustee”) legally holds property for the benefit of another person (known as the “beneficiary”). The trustee has legal responsibility to manage this property for the benefit of the beneficiary. The person who establishes the trust is known as the “settlor”.

Trusts can be divided into two classes. They are “inter vivos” trusts and “testamentary trusts”. Inter vivos trusts begin operating during one’s lifetime, whereas testamentary trusts are attached to a will and do not begin to operate until after the death of the person making the Will.

The two most common trusts that are used in Victoria are family discretionary trusts and unit trusts.

Why have a trust?
There are many reasons to create trusts. The two most common reasons are:

1. To protect assets
Once an asset is transferred to a trust (or purchased by a trust), it becomes the property of the trust. The asset is not owned by the settlor, trustee or beneficiaries. This means that if any of these people fall into financial difficulty or are involved in Family Court or other legal proceedings, the assets of the trust are generally protected (subject to some exceptions). 

2. For tax reasons
For some people, there are tax advantages to transferring assets into a trust, as opposed to retaining the assets themselves.

Trusts can be convenient and cost-effective vehicles for protecting valuable assets, sharing income with family members and legally reducing tax payments which may otherwise be payable. If you would like more information in relation to trusts, please contact us.

Contact Joseph Lukaitis and Melissa O’Keefe

Wills & Estate Planning

Our private clients are at the heart of our practice. We are committed to ensuring our clients’ wealth and personal and family assets are protected, and that loved ones are provided for. We make sure that our clients’ minds are at ease by assisting them with sensible forward planning and expert advice on these often-sensitive family issues. We are experienced in working with clients’ accountants to ensure that all aspects of superannuation are considered during Will making.

We provide the following services:

• Estate and succession planning
• Preparation of Wills and all types of Powers of Attorney
• Family discretionary trusts
• Charitable trusts
• Asset protection
• Succession agreements
• Testamentary trusts
• Disability trusts to protect disabled beneficiaries
• Guardianship applications

Why make a Will?

Many people believe that the preparation of a Will or Power of Attorney is nothing more than completing and signing a form. However, there are many factors which must be considered before a valid Will or Power of Attorney should or can be prepared and executed. This includes determining who can be trusted to care for one’s affairs, whether that person will understand their responsibilities, and how they will they cope with difficult emotional issues and uncooperative family members.

In addition to the statutory formalities which must be complied with, careful thought should also be given to issues such as:

• Does the person making the Will or Power of Attorney have the necessary mental capacity?
• Has any person applied undue influence or duress to the person making the Will or Power of Attorney?
• Are all the persons who have a claim on a Will maker’s estate included or considered? If not, what will be the consequences?
• What is the likelihood of a claim against the estate after the will maker’s death?
• What type of Power of Attorney is required? Different types of Powers of Attorney include:
  • General Powers of Attorney
  • Enduring Powers of Attorney (Financial);
  • Enduring Powers of Attorney (Medical Treatment); and
  • Enduring Powers of Guardianship

Other matters which should also be given attention include:

• The creation of testamentary trusts, which can be of great financial benefit to beneficiaries’ children
• The guardianship of any under age children
• The need for a guardian or administrator to be appointed
• Medical evidence of mental capacity.

Please contact our office to request an official checklist to assist with Will making.

Contact: Joseph Lukaitis and Olivia Kennedy and Natasha Aleksic