What an amazing year 2019 was! We have summarised your favourite top ten articles below. We have selected these articles based on those that were read and shared the most.
At number 10, is the article relating to charges laid against Paul Whyte for corruption. Mr Whyte is a long-serving-high-level public servant and police are now looking into an 11-year history where they say the total amount of the false invoicing scheme could exceed $25 million (and some reports suggest even up to $40 million). For more on this article, click here to read.
Coming in at number 9, Voluntary Assisted Dying in WA was a hot topic. This article discussed the impending law that was to be passed (and now we can say it has been successfully passed!) and how it might affect West Australians. If you would like to learn more, read here. We have also just published another article on Voluntary Assisted Dying and its effect on Insurance claims.
The article that took the number 8 spot for 2019, answers the question of when an insurer can refuse a claim. Section 54 of the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth) provides that an insurer may not refuse to pay a claim in certain circumstances. It is a section often relied on by dissatisfied policy holders who have had a claim refused. If you would like to read more, click here.
The number 7 spot discusses one of Perth’s most intriguing cases – The Claremont Serial Killer. We go into detail about court forensics and the impact of the accused Bradley Edwards’ guilty pleas to five of the eight charges laid against him. Read here for more information.
Coming in at number 6! DIY Will Kits – Are they really saving you money? You have decided to prepare a Will but are reluctant to pay the amount lawyers charge to have one prepared. While it may appear to be cheaper to use a Will kit from the post office, there are a lot of issues that come from DIY Will kits that may end up costing your estate later on down the track. Read here to learn more.
Intestacy is the fifth most popular article of 2019 – What happens if you die without a Will is changing in WA. The Administration Amendment Bill of 2018 contemplates increasing the sum that would go to the spouse to $435,000 rather than $50,000. The balance of the estate is still proposed to them be split between the spouse and children, one third/two thirds respectively. To learn more about this, click here.
At number 4, we answer the question “Do I have to support my ex?” Maintenance is when one partner gives his or her ex-partner financial assistance after the relationship has ended. Maintenance is not the same as child support. Maintenance and child support are two different payment obligations. You do not need to have children to be liable to pay maintenance and you can be required to pay both child support and maintenance. If you would like to learn more about this article, click here
The third most read and shared article for 2019 explored the circumstances in which you can lodge a caveat against a property when you’re owed a debt, what a caveat is, what they can be lodged for, what they cannot be lodged for and the consequences of lodgement of an invalid caveat. For more information, click here.
Coming in at number 2 for our most popular articles for 2019, you wanted to know if you ex-partner was entitled to receive part of your inheritance. The answer is yes! So we have laid some other options to try to preserve an inheritance, depending on your circumstances. For more information, read here.
And lastly, at number 1 we have our most popular article of 2019 – which was a January article discussing all the new laws that took effect from that month. If you would like to read the article, please click here. We have also written an article on New Laws of 2020 for you to be up to date and start this year informed.
If you want to know more about any of these articles, don’t hesitate to contact us.
