Concerns about undue influence and mental capacity feature large in wills and estates practice. Here to unpack the practical red flags, interview techniques, and drafting-stage safeguards is Linda Hart, College lecturer, Principal at Solace Legal, Accredited Specialist (Wills & Estates), and a TEP. Linda outlines how to identify capacity concerns early, manage family pressure in the room, and build a defensible process that protects both client and practitioner if the estate is later contested.

The NSW Government has introduced the Fair Trading and Building Legislation Amendment Bill 2026, and for practitioners working in property, strata and construction law, the implications are significant. The Bill modernises property laws, strengthens regulatory powers across the building and conveyancing sectors, and clarifies the legislative framework for Decennial Liability Insurance.

NSW is transitioning to a fully digital survey plan process, and while the reforms are primarily directed at surveyors, they carry significant downstream implications for lawyers, particularly in relation to documents that accompany plans such as section 88B instruments.

Remote wills can be a useful tool. Justice McMillan in the Victorian Supreme Court authority Re Curtis gave guidance on the requirements of the remote execution procedure under s8A of the Wills Act 1997 (Vic). Tasman Ash Fleming, barrister and nationally accredited mediator (AMDRAS) and adjunct lecturer at the College of Law, provides commentary on this significant case.

The Law Society of New South Wales and the Real Estate Institute of New South Wales have just released the 2026 edition of the Standard Contract for Sale and Purchase of Land, and practitioners need to act before the 31 May 2026 deadline.

From July 2026, Australian law firms will need to comply with sweeping reforms to the nation's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) regime while continuing to run their practice. We spoke to Jessica Smith, Director of Risk Consulting at Grant Thornton, on how to best navigate this transition.

New South Wales underwent three waves of significant reform to its strata laws throughout 2025. Unpacking these sweeping changes is strata lawyer and principal Anna Minassian. Anna explains the key details around the three waves of reforms, how they aim to enhance accountability and consumer confidence across the strata sector, and offers practical guidance for legal practitioners navigating these significant updates.

For a couple who've signed a financial agreement, whether before marriage or relationship, during a relationship, or on the way out, enforceability can mean the difference between financial security and a brutal property battle. Here to help us unpack financial agreements, with a review of recent cases, is Kathryn Kearley, College of Law lecturer, family law specialist, and our regular Family Law contributor.

The NSW Supreme Court's new Protocol Relating to Costs and Costs Capping in Probate Proceedings (‘Protocol’), effective 21 July 2025, represents a notable shift in estate litigation. It upends a long-held assumption: that should you be involved in estate litigation as an executor, you could expect an unqualified order of costs. We spoke to Josephine Pignataro, Accredited Specialist in Wills and Estates Law and Partner at HWL Ebsworth, to unpack these changes.

The Australian Government recently ruled out changing copyright law to allow AI to train its models on Australian creative work. We caught up with privacy, AI and tech lawyer Matthew Hodgkinson, AI regulation expert Raymond Sun, and bestselling author Wenee Yap to review these recent developments and assess what it may mean for Australia’s approach to AI.