New Year, New Resolutions | Welcome 2024
We hope all our clients, friends, and colleagues had a relaxing and peaceful Christmas break. As we start into 2024, we have been having lots of team meetings and discussions including plans for the year ahead.
January can be a time to tackle those jobs that got put on the long finger, and if we learned one major takeaway from the introduction of the new Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act 2015 it is the benefit of future planning.
From a legal perspective of planning, what should we all be looking at?!
Our legal team’s top resolutions in 2024 are:
- Make your Will: we think of a Last Will and Testament as being the preserve of the older person, while an integral future planning step for all, in fact, it’s younger people who have a young family and assets (and liabilities!) who need a Will most.
- Protect yourself and your business and financial interests: if you have a joint house, business venture, or investment project, have you considered a partnership agreement, a co-ownership agreement, or a shareholder agreement? What if you fall out, one of you dies, or one of you wishes to sell but the other does not? If you have a plan and framework in place these matters can be readily and easily resolved, without one matters can become quickly complex and expensive.
- Be Informed: sometimes life moves forward at speed, it’s like the fast forward button is being pushed, this can be in relationships or family, house purchases, or investments, and one finds themselves immersed in long-term arrangements be that from marriage to cohabitation, to bereavements, probate, investments, business ventures. Yes, I do know it’s January, and we are sounding like the prophets of doom and gloom – BUT early advice, even just to know what the options are and where you stand can help you make the right decision now, and/or assess your options and what is in your best interests. Often just having information to hand will ease your mind and make life easier.
- Consider Legal Life Planning; the new Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act 2015 means that in addition to making a Will, there are new formats of Enduring Powers of Attorney (an essential component of your future security and planning tools available to you), and Advanced Healthcare Directives, we now have Decision Making Assistance Agreements and Co-Decision Making Agreements.
- Delving into a property purchase, mortgage, business, or other new venture: get solid legal advice that you can trust and a quote upfront, telephone us at 018272888 for more information or to discuss your requirements.
If you or your family or relatives have questions regarding any of these matters, please telephone us on 018272888 for more information or email us at [email protected]. Our “Ask the Expert” consultations commence at €246 (including vat) and we can arrange to meet with you at Mount Street, Dublin 2, just off Merrion Square and Baggott Street, or at our centrally located office in Blanchardtown, Dublin 15, just off the M50 to chat through you requirements and options.
Niamh Moran is a partner at Carmody Moran Solicitors in Dublin. Niamh’s litigation experience includes injury claims law (both Plaintiff and Defendant) and is an Advisory Board Member of the State Claims Agency.