6 Best Estate Planning Melbourne Firms for Wills and Trusts

The right choice for estate planning Melbourne depends on what you own and how complicated your family is. If you hold a business, trusts or a self-managed super fund, start with Gartly Advisory to sort out the financial structure, then use a solicitor for the legal documents. If you want a clear wills package with an online quote, Nest Legal is built for that. Aitken Partners suits layered estates, Danaher Moulton suits asset protection planning, Moores suits trusts, SMSFs and unusual family situations, and Robinson Gill suits business owners with tax and family law angles. A good provider explains how your assets are held, not just who gets them.

Most people know they need a will. The harder part is that every firm’s website promises "tailored advice", and a will covers only some of what you own. Super, trust assets and company assets generally sit outside it. If you lose capacity without a valid enduring power of attorney, someone may have to apply to VCAT to make decisions for you. It is hard to tell which provider fits your situation before you book.

This article compares six providers using the same three checks: what they offer, how the process works and what it costs, and who they suit. Gartly Advisory is an accounting firm, not a law firm, and we say so up front. We list it first because most estate problems are financial and structural, and they are cheaper to fix before the documents are signed.

1. Gartly Advisory

Gartly Advisory is the pick if your wealth sits mostly in a business, property and super, and you want the structure tested before any document is signed.

What they offer

Gartly Advisory is a chartered accounting and business advisory firm in Ormond, led by Geoff Gartly. Geoff is a Chartered Accountant with more than 35 years’ experience, an SMSF specialist and a Certified Value Builder. Estate planning sits alongside tax planning, SMSF management and business exit and succession work, so the advice looks at your whole financial position.

That matters because many estate failures are structural. Super can be paid to the wrong person, a trust can end up controlled by the wrong child, and a business can stall when its owner dies. Formal legal documents such as a will still need a solicitor, so the practical model is to settle the financial design first, then have the documents drafted to match.

How it works and what it costs

The work starts with a review of what you own and how each asset is held: personal names, trusts, companies and your SMSF. From there, the tax effects of different structures are mapped, and the plan is set out before anything is drafted. Fees depend on the complexity of your affairs, so ask for the scope and fee in writing before work starts.

Bring these to the first meeting:

• Your current will and any powers of attorney
• Trust deeds, company constitutions and your SMSF deed
• Super and life insurance beneficiary nominations
• A list of assets, debts and personal guarantees
• Any shareholder or business partner agreements

A will only controls what you personally own, so the structure behind your assets matters as much as the document.

Who it suits

Gartly suits business owners, franchise owners, property investors and SMSF members who want estate planning Melbourne advice tied to tax and succession. The firm has served the Melbourne business community for over 25 years, has more than 500 active clients and holds more than 70 five-star Google reviews. It is less suited to someone who only needs a basic will and has no structures to coordinate.

2. Nest Legal

Nest Legal is the best fit if you want a lawyer-drafted will and estate plan with a quote you can get online.

What they offer

Nest Legal is a Melbourne law firm with an office in Brunswick East. It offers tailored estate plans that go beyond a will. These cover guardianship of children, incapacity, superannuation and the passing of trusts and companies. It also prepares discretionary testamentary trust wills.

Its documents come with extras that many firms leave out. These include a Digital Assets Register, a handbook for your decision-makers and guardian, and guidance for your attorneys. For executors, that practical paperwork often matters more than the will itself.

How it works and what it costs

The process begins with a free 10-minute chat or an instant online quote. You then complete an intake process, pay, and book a meeting with a lawyer. Nest Legal says it sends your documents within two weeks of final instructions.

You can sign at the Brunswick East office and have the documents stored offsite. You can also sign and store them yourself using instructions the firm provides. Pricing depends on the plan recommended after the quote questions, so the online quote is where you see your figure.

Who it suits

Nest Legal suits families and individuals who want a structured process and are comfortable starting online. It works well for parents who need guardianship and trust arrangements for children. If your affairs include several companies or an SMSF, check that its quote covers them.

A good will package puts the decision-makers’ paperwork in the same folder as the will.

3. Aitken Partners

Aitken Partners suits you if your estate involves business interests, family complexity or assets that need advice from a larger, long-established practice.

What they offer

Aitken Partners is a Melbourne firm located at Level 28, 140 William Street in the CBD. It says it has advised clients for over a century. Its estate planning work covers wills, powers of attorney, succession planning, trusts and structuring.

Its clients range from individuals and families to private companies, charities and government bodies. The firm also addresses harder situations, including blended families, assets in several countries and wishes to exclude a family member. In Victoria, certain eligible people can challenge a will if they are excluded, so this advice has real value.

How it works and what it costs

The firm describes three steps: a confidential initial consultation, a strategic plan with steps, timeline and documents, and then execution and ongoing support. Aitken Partners offers fixed fee packages, with the price set by the complexity of the matter and full cost disclosure at the start.

Ask which package your matter falls under. Also ask what is excluded, such as a testamentary trust or reviews of existing family trusts.

Who it suits

Aitken suits business owners, families with several generations to consider and people with overseas assets or blended families. It also serves clients who want a CBD firm with depth across wills, trusts and succession. If your estate is small and simple, a package-based provider may be more efficient.

Complex families need a lawyer who plans for the challenge, not only the distribution.

4. Danaher Moulton

Danaher Moulton is a strong choice if protecting assets across your life stages matters more to you than getting a quick will.

What they offer

Danaher Moulton is a Melbourne law firm with offices in the CBD and Kew. Its approach to estate planning Melbourne clients value is built on three life phases: asset acquisition, asset protection and asset realisation. Each phase calls for different documents, structures and risk decisions.

For a young family, that might mean basic wills, powers of attorney and a review of super and insurance nominations. For a business owner, it moves to structures, debt arrangements, guarantees and succession agreements. For retirees, it covers simplifying affairs and handling changes of control.

How it works and what it costs

The firm invites you to complete a Wills Questionnaire, which generally takes about an hour. It then gives you an assessment of your estate planning needs, and you decide whether to continue. That makes the first step low-commitment.

Costs are not set out in a standard price, so ask for a fee estimate once the assessment is done. Ask whether it includes the supporting documents, such as binding nominations and company powers of attorney.

Who it suits

Danaher Moulton suits business owners, property investors and families with trusts or an SMSF. Its guidance makes a point many people miss: your will is irrelevant to an SMSF, so the fund’s deed and nominations decide who receives your super. That suits you if you want a lawyer who treats ownership structure as the starting point.

Your will cannot give away assets that a trust, company or SMSF owns.

5. Moores

Moores is worth shortlisting when your plan involves trusts, an SMSF or family circumstances that a standard will cannot handle.

What they offer

Moores is a Melbourne law firm with a private clients team. Its estate planning work sits under wills, estate planning and structuring. The firm says it focuses on families with complex arrangements, including structures such as trusts and SMSFs and unique family and personal circumstances.

In practice, that means the will is one part of a wider arrangement. For example, a will may need to work with a family trust, a self-managed fund and a company that holds the investment property. A firm that reviews these pieces together reduces the risk of one document undoing another.

How it works and what it costs

Start with an enquiry and a conversation about your assets and family. Expect the firm to ask for trust deeds, fund documents and details of who controls what. Because arrangements differ so much, pricing is set by the work involved. Ask for a written estimate and a list of the documents it covers.

It also helps to ask how often the firm will review your plan. A review every three to five years, or after a major life event, is a sensible benchmark.

Who it suits

Moores suits families with trusts, an SMSF or non-standard circumstances, such as a child with special needs or a blended family. If your estate planning Melbourne needs are modest, you may be paying for depth you will not use. For layered wealth, that depth is the point.

The more structures you own, the less a standalone will can do for you.

6. Robinson Gill

Robinson Gill is the option for business owners and separated or re-partnered clients who want tax and family law thinking built into their will.

What they offer

Robinson Gill is a Melbourne firm that describes itself as "not your average wills law firm". It brings tax, business and family law knowledge to its wills and estate work. Its aim is that when you die, your loved ones are looked after, whatever your circumstances.

This blend matters in two situations. First, a business owner needs a will that fits with shareholder arrangements and tax outcomes. Second, a separated or re-partnered client needs a plan that reflects a former partner’s changed role. A will does not automatically change when a relationship ends, so documents and super nominations need active updating.

How it works and what it costs

The firm serves clients across Melbourne suburbs. Begin by enquiring and describing your situation, then expect advice on documents that suit your business and family position. Fees depend on the matter, so request a written estimate and a clear scope before you instruct.

Ask whether the quote covers your enduring powers of attorney and super nominations, not only the will. Those documents often get left out of a quote.

Who it suits

Robinson Gill suits business owners, separated or divorced clients and blended families. It is also a good option if you want your estate planning Melbourne lawyer to understand family law pressures. If you only need a simple will, a lower-cost package provider is likely enough.

A will written before a separation can quietly keep your former partner in charge.

How to choose an estate planning provider in Melbourne

Choose by matching the provider to the complexity of your assets, then confirm what the fee covers. Melbourne estate planning works best when the financial structure and the legal documents are designed together.

What a complete estate plan includes

A will is one piece. A full plan covers what happens if you die and if you lose capacity. In Victoria, that usually means:

• A valid will, with a testamentary trust if a child or vulnerable beneficiary needs protection
• An enduring power of attorney for financial and personal matters
• An appointment of medical treatment decision maker
• A binding death benefit nomination for your super
• A named guardian for any minor children
• Succession arrangements for trusts, companies and your business

Super does not automatically form part of your estate, so you must direct the fund trustee with a valid nomination. Testamentary trusts can also help with tax, because income paid to a child beneficiary can be taxed more favourably than in a standard inheritance. Get tax advice on your own case.

Questions to ask before you book

Ask these in the first call. The answers separate providers quickly.

• What does the quoted fee include, and what costs extra?
• Who will actually prepare my documents?
• How do you handle trusts, companies and my SMSF?
• Will you coordinate with my accountant?
• How often should I review my plan, and do you offer that?

Side-by-side comparison

This article is general information, not legal advice. Review your plan every three to five years, and after a marriage, separation, birth, death or major financial change.

The best provider is the one whose advice matches how you actually hold your assets.

Where to start with your estate plan

Estate planning Melbourne families rely on comes down to one idea: fix the structure, then sign the documents. Use a package-based law firm for a straightforward plan. Choose a larger or specialist firm when your family or assets are layered. Whoever you pick, get the scope and fee in writing.

If your wealth sits in a business, trusts, property or an SMSF, begin with the numbers. Speak with Gartly Advisory’s estate planning team about how your assets are held, what a transfer would cost in tax, and what your solicitor needs to draft.