Overseas Estates

Deceased Estates in foreign jurisdictions

MBS provides complete services for deceased estates in foreign jurisdictions, through its international network of legal agents. Some of the matters dealt with are:

• Inheritance issues.
• Genealogical services - beneficiary traces - inheritance - deceased estates.
• Advice on applicable foreign law.
• Recognition and execution (exequatur) of Australian State or Territory wills and testamentary instruments in foreign jurisdictions.
• Securing entitlements under foreign wills for offshore real and personal property and dealings with such property.
• Resolution of foreign death duties and tax issues and receipt of benefits in Australia or other offshore jurisdictions.
• Full services for foreign estates, including correspondence in foreign languages, notarial services for overseas powers of attorney and other documents and instruments, with guidance throughout the entire procedure.
• All aspects of foreign and Australian estate litigation and arbitration.

French Estates

MBS deals with French Estates, liaison with French notaries (notaires), barristers (avocats) and the French Tax Office, to provide advice and assist in the administration of French Estates. Communication is in French with necessary translations carried out in-house by the firm Traductions Françaises (French Translations).

Italian Estates

Michael Bula speaks Italian and can advise on all aspects of Italian deceased estates, including in-house translations by Corporate Language Communications.

Estate representation and administration process

MBS handles the full complement of services, an example of which are:

• Advice on applicable foreign law, wills and testamentary instruments.
• Full foreign notarial services to prepare powers of attorney for representation and other deeds.
• Appointment of foreign legal agents to assist and enforce client rights and interests.
• Full representative and administration services.
• Liaison and instruction to overseas legal agents to deal with all issues relating to documentation, applicable law, wills and succession issues and including tax as well as real and personal property.
• Asset sales, recovery and dealings.

Legal Agents

Through the extensive network of agents, MBS can assist clients in overseas estate matters in most offshore jurisdictions.