Your Life | Your Legacy | Our Expertise
Focused exclusively on estate planning and deceased estates.
We consider the risks so you don’t have to.
About Woolcock Lawyers
Meet our Director - Claire Van Raay
Claire was admitted to practice in 2015, after working in the legal industry since her early twenties. She holds an Advanced Diploma of Legal Practice, a Bachelor of Laws, a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice, and a Master of Laws majoring in Wills and Estates.
Her philosophy is simple. We are humans first. That perspective informs every aspect of her practice. Legal structure matters, but so do relationships, family dynamics, and the lived realities behind each estate plan.
Estate planning is an area where many people 'don't know what they do not know'. Laws change. Tax treatment evolves. Court decisions reshape how Wills and trusts are interpreted. A document that appears straightforward can produce unintended consequences years later if it has not been carefully structured.
As a firm dedicated exclusively to estate planning and deceased estates, Woolcock Lawyers remains attentive to legal and taxation developments that may affect your estate plan. Each matter is prepared with consideration of how the law will operate at the time of administration, not simply how the document reads on the day it is signed.
Claire has a particular interest in the complexities that arise when families, wealth, business interests and personal values intersect. Estate planning is rarely just technical. It is often layered, sensitive and deeply personal.
Her work commonly involves:
• Testamentary trust Wills
• Blended family structures
• Individuals with no dependants
• Business and trust succession
• Superannuation death benefit strategy
• Protecting vulnerable beneficiaries
• Executor guidance and estate administration
Claire’s approach is friendly, but structured and strategic. Estate planning is not treated as document production. It is approached as a risk management exercise, with careful attention to long-term consequences.
There is an expanding market for low-cost templates and simplified Wills. However, estate planning is not an area where minimal drafting or generic documents consistently serve families well. A Will that appears sufficient today may later be tested by death, taxes, or family conflict.
Under Claire's guidance and oversight, our focus is on preparing estate plans that are legally robust and designed to operate as intended when they are needed most.
Claire is frequently adding to her list of articles and commentary on this website. Feel free to read some of our free general resources.
Dedicated to Estate Planning and Deceased Estates
Woolcock Lawyers is a Victorian based incorporated legal practice focused exclusively on estate planning and deceased estate administration across Australia, excluding South Australia.
We do not practise across multiple areas of law, and we do not undertake disputes. Our defined focus allows us to remain attentive to the legal, procedural and taxation developments that affect estates.
Estate planning and estate administration require technical accuracy and careful sequencing. A Will may appear straightforward, yet its interaction with asset ownership, superannuation, trusts, taxation and family structures can materially affect outcomes. Experience in both preparing estate plans and administering them provides insight into how documents are tested in practice.
Our work is concentrated, deliberate and grounded in the legal and structural detail required to design effective estate plans and administer estates properly. We prepare Wills with the expectation that they will stand the test of time and ease the burden on those left behind, not create unnecessary complexity in the future.
Where appropriate, we work collaboratively with accountants, financial planners, corporate and tax lawyers, property lawyers and family lawyers to ensure that legal structures align with broader financial, business and personal arrangements.
Our role is to ensure that your estate planning and estate administration are handled carefully and carried through properly.
If you are seeking focused advice in estate planning or deceased estate administration, we invite you to explore our services and arrange a consultation.
What to expect when working with a lawyer
Our process is risk focused, advice driven and structured.
Whether you are preparing an estate plan or administering a deceased estate, we begin with a focused initial consultation, conducted online or in person, to understand your circumstances, asset profile, family dynamics and objectives. This meeting allows us to identify and triage legal and tax considerations, as well as potential risks that may not be immediately apparent.
Following that consultation, we provide tailored legal advice and prepare the necessary documents, or guide you through the steps required to administer the estate in accordance with the law.
We are a private billing firm. Our work is based on considered legal advice rather than template documents or generic drafting. Each estate plan is prepared with the expectation that it will one day be relied upon, and each estate administration is handled with the same level of care and structure.
We are upfront about our fees after our initial consultation. Where possible, we provide a clear cost estimate and work within a fixed fee framework. If a matter becomes more complex than initially anticipated, we discuss this with you before additional work is undertaken.
Many of our clients lead busy lives and prefer online or after hours meetings. Where required, we also accommodate home and aged care visits.
Our clients value careful planning and want matters handled properly the first time.
All advice is provided by an admitted Australian legal practitioner, qualified and authorised to advise on estate planning and deceased estate administration matters.