Trusts and Estates
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One of Australia’s leading estate planning lawyers, Bernie has over 40 years’ experience advising individuals, family groups and businesses on all aspects of estate and business succession. Often acting as advisor to prominent families, Bernie’s knowledge of family trusts, superannuation and estate and elder law enables him to provide clear, practical solutions for clients with complex family and asset structures. He is often asked to provide a second opinion on existing succession plans.Accountants, financial planners and other advisers regularly refer clients to Bernie because of his collaborative approach and plain-English advice. Bernie is lead author of Estate and Business Succession Planning, widely regarded as Australia’s leading text on succession planning, now in its 8th edition. He is a sought-after public speaker by many professional and educational bodies.Bernie’s areas of practice include:Complex estate and incapacity planningFamily trustsSuperannuation including SMSFsBusiness successionAsset protectionDisputes and litigationFamily Office adviceTaxationCharitable TrustsProfessional associations and publications:Associate Executor & Trustee InstituteAffiliate Securities Institute of AustraliaThe Law Institute of VictoriaThe Tax InstituteSociety of Trust and Estate Professionals (STEP)Lead Author, Estate and Business Succession Planning, ISBN: 978-0-9925810-8-4 published by The Tax InstituteDeakin University Lecturer and Author, Estate Planning (undergraduate and postgraduate)KAPLAN Insurance, Succession and Estate Planning module co-author One of Australia’s leading estate planning lawyers, Bernie has over 40 years’ experience advising individuals, family groups and businesses on all aspects of estate and business succession. Often acting as advisor to prominent families, Bernie’s knowledge of family trusts, superannuation and estate and elder law enables him to provide clear, practical solutions for clients with complex family and asset structures. He is often asked to provide a second opinion on existing succession plans.Accountants, financial planners and other advisers regularly refer clients to Bernie because of his collaborative approach and plain-English advice. Bernie is lead author of Estate and Business Succession Planning, widely regarded as Australia’s leading text on succession planning, now in its 8th edition. He is a sought-after public speaker by many professional and educational bodies.Bernie’s areas of practice include:Complex estate and incapacity planningFamily trustsSuperannuation including SMSFsBusiness successionAsset protectionDisputes and litigationFamily Office adviceTaxationCharitable TrustsProfessional associations and publications:Associate Executor & Trustee InstituteAffiliate Securities Institute of AustraliaThe Law Institute of VictoriaThe Tax InstituteSociety of Trust and Estate Professionals (STEP)Lead Author, Estate and Business Succession Planning, ISBN: 978-0-9925810-8-4 published by The Tax InstituteDeakin University Lecturer and Author, Estate Planning (undergraduate and postgraduate)KAPLAN Insurance, Succession and Estate Planning module co-author One of Australia’s leading estate planning lawyers, Bernie has over 40 years’ experience advising individuals, family groups and businesses on all aspects of estate and business succession. Often acting as advisor to prominent families, Bernie’s knowledge of family trusts, superannuation and estate and elder law enables him to provide clear, practical solutions for clients with complex family and asset structures. He is often asked to provide a second opinion on existing succession plans. Accountants, financial planners and other advisers regularly refer clients to Bernie because of his collaborative approach and plain-English advice. Bernie is lead author of Estate and Business Succession Planning, widely regarded as Australia’s leading text on succession planning, now in its 8th edition. He is a sought-after public speaker by many professional and educational bodies. Bernie’s areas of practice include: Professional associations and publications:
Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2022
Angela Hill
My family's situation was complex, involving a multi-generational family business and assets spread across two countries. We needed an attorney with deep, strategic knowledge of both estate planning and business succession. Bernie O'Sullivan of Wills & Wealth was recommended to us, and it was the best decision we could have made. While his recent accolades in Melbourne speak volumes, it was his 40+ years of foundational experience that truly impressed us. He didn't just draft documents; he facilitated thoughtful, sometimes difficult, conversations among family members to ensure our wishes were clear and our legacy protected. Bernie possesses a rare ability to distill intricate legal and tax implications into actionable, understandable advice. His professionalism is matched by a genuine, personal approach—he made us feel like we were his only clients. The final plan he crafted for our trust and business transition is comprehensive, elegant, and gives us profound peace of mind. For anyone navigating the sensitive intersection of family wealth and business continuity, Bernie’s expertise is simply unparalleled.
