Powers of Attorney & Elder Law
Enduring powers of attorney, medical decision-making, capacity, guardianship, administration and elder-risk advice — carefully drafted, and defended when needed.
Powers of Attorney & Elder Law
Signals the private-client focus of the powers-of-attorney and elder-law practice.
Powers of attorney are among the most consequential documents a person ever signs. They authorise another person to deal with money, property and personal decisions — sometimes indefinitely, sometimes at a moment of great vulnerability. Drafting them casually, or leaving the appointment until capacity is already in question, closes off the choices the principal would have made for themselves.
Elder-law work sits at the intersection of powers of attorney, medical decision-making, capacity, family dynamics and estate planning. It is rarely just a document exercise. Getting it right usually means talking through who should be appointed, what authority they should have, how disagreements are to be handled and how the appointment fits with the Will, superannuation nominations and any business or trust structure.
Our role is to draft the instruments that will work when they are needed, to advise families through the harder conversations, and to represent people at VCAT when a dispute cannot be resolved privately.
A long-established private-client team with day-to-day VCAT and elder-law experience across metropolitan Melbourne.
Private-client team at work
Reinforces the credentials-heavy 'why choose' section.
Integrated with estate planning
Powers of attorney sit alongside the Will, superannuation nominations and business succession — we draft the whole plan, not one document.
VCAT experience
Regular appearances in the VCAT Guardianship List for guardianship, administration and attorney-conduct matters.
Careful, non-alarmist approach
Elder-risk work is calibrated to the family situation. We escalate only when protection genuinely requires it.
Melbourne CBD & Ringwood offices
In-person appointments at 480 Collins Street and in Ringwood; home and residential-care visits available.
Coordinated with other advisers
We work alongside accountants, financial advisers, GPs and social workers where the situation calls for it.
Private-fee basis
Fixed-fee document work where the scope allows; disputes and VCAT work quoted at the outset.
From straightforward appointments through to VCAT disputes and elder-risk advice.
Careful drafting of financial and personal enduring appointments — including limitations, conditions, staged commencement and co-appointment structures — so the authority given matches the principal's intent.
Medical Treatment Decision Maker appointments and advance care directives under the Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Act 2016 (Vic) — coordinated with the wider estate plan.
Supportive-attorney documentation for principals who retain decision-making capacity but need practical assistance. Suitable for early-stage cognitive decline, disability and communication support.
Advice and representation where capacity is uncertain or has been lost — including VCAT guardianship and administration applications, reviews and renewals.
Representation where attorneys, administrators or guardians are alleged to have acted improperly, or where family members disagree about decisions being made for a vulnerable person.
Careful, non-alarmist advice where an older or vulnerable person is exposed to financial pressure, coercion or undue influence — and where the family needs a considered legal response.
The situations in which people most often need powers-of-attorney and elder-law advice.
Family decision-making
Anchors the 'common situations' block.
You want to appoint an attorney before something happens
Enduring powers of attorney should be signed while capacity is not in question — well before they are needed.
A parent has been diagnosed with dementia or is declining
We advise on timing, capacity and the appropriate appointment while decision-making is still possible.
Capacity has already been lost with no valid appointment
We advise on VCAT guardianship or administration as the pathway to lawful decision-making.
An attorney is refusing to account or acting improperly
We advise on requiring accounts, removing the attorney and, where appropriate, compensation.
The family disagrees about care or financial decisions
We advise on the attorney's scope of authority and, where necessary, VCAT determination of the dispute.
An older person is under financial pressure or influence
We advise on protective steps proportionate to the risk — from documenting arrangements through to VCAT intervention.
Practical topics drawn from our day-to-day powers-of-attorney and elder-law work.
Drafting, review and update of enduring financial and personal appointments in Victoria.
Read moreThe recurring drafting and execution errors that undermine an enduring appointment when it is needed.
Read moreHow supportive-attorney appointments work and when they are the right instrument.
Read moreThe application process where no valid appointment exists or where an existing arrangement is failing.
Read moreHow and when a principal can revoke an enduring appointment, and what to do if capacity is in doubt.
Read moreWarning signs, protective steps and legal remedies where an attorney is misusing their authority.
Read morePlain-English answers to the questions we are asked most often by Melbourne clients.
In-depth, plain-English reading from our Information Centre.
A practical guide to enduring powers of attorney and medical treatment decision makers under Victorian law — and what happens if you don't have one.
The most common mistakes Victorians make when appointing an enduring power of attorney — choosing the wrong attorney, conflicts of interest, capacity, record keeping and how to prevent financial abuse.
A practical Victorian guide to appointing a supportive attorney under the Powers of Attorney Act 2014 (Vic) — what a supportive attorney can and cannot do, how it differs from an enduring power of attorney, capacity requirements, the correct form and witnessing, decision-support rather than substitute decision-making, third-party recognition, revocation and safeguards against abuse.
A practical Victorian guide to applications at VCAT for guardianship, administration, supportive guardianship and supportive administration orders under the Guardianship and Administration Act 2019 — decision-making capacity, less restrictive alternatives, will and preferences, evidence, hearings, the powers and duties of appointees and how orders are reassessed, varied or cancelled.
When and how an enduring power of attorney can be revoked in Victoria — capacity, the formal revocation process, notification, replacing an attorney, family disputes and Court involvement.
An attorney appointed under an enduring power of attorney must act in the principal's best interests. Learn what options may be available if concerns arise about misuse of authority.
Powers of Attorney & Elder Law
Book a consultation with our private-client team to discuss enduring powers of attorney, medical decision-making, capacity or an elder-law dispute. Melbourne CBD and Ringwood; home and residential-care visits available.
