Donna Benge

Expertise

Recognition

Accolades

• Best Lawyers in Australia – Recognised for Wealth Management / Succession Planning Practice (Adelaide, AU) – Since 2022 edition
• Doyle’s Guide – Leading Wills & Estates & Succession Planning Lawyers – South Australia, since 2017 edition
• Doyle’s Guide – Leading Wills & Estates Litigation Lawyers – South Australia, 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2022 editions

Recent deals and media coverage

• Young lawyers learn the ropes for SA emerging industries – InDaily, 7 December 2021

Memberships

• Co Vice Chair & Secretary, STEP South Australia
• Member, SMSF Association
• Director, Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia
• Board member, Flinders Foundation

Related Insights

• Succession Act (SA) 2023 – Changes in SA – Part 1
• Distribution deliberations: How trustees of discretionary family trusts can protect themselves
• Advance Care Directives: How the changes impact you
• Law Reform in South Australia: Succession Act 2023 (SA)
• Preserving the fruits of business: sole directors & shareholders
• A Family Divided: New obligations on trustees of discretionary family trusts
• Private Client Services: 2021 Year in Review
• Private Ancillary Funds (PAFs) incentivised to increase charitable support
• State by State – Electronic witnessing during COVID-19
• COVID-19 – Providing rental relief for the tenant in my SMSF property
• Court’s Advice to Executor
• Share splits in Wills – But three into two won’t go
• COVID-19 – The Government’s economic stimulus packages explained
• What happens when a charity’s purpose can’t be amended? Lessons from Bushfire Fundraising and the Greens’ proposed solution
• Testamentary trusts- Keeping it in the family
• A new dawn for superannuation complaints – Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA)
• “Documents of the Trust”
• Digital Assets – what’s the fuss?
• Attorneys & Super – can they make a valid Binding Death Benefit Nomination?
• Super Trustee decision draws on social media
• Superannuation – interdependency and spouses
• No second bite at cherry for former spouse – Lodin v Lodin overturned on appeal
• Superannuation death benefits – Review succession plans
• Are life insurance policies protected from a deceased person’s post-death tax liabilities?
• Protection to Finalise Administration of Estate
• Trust deeds in the new SMSF world – Benefit payments and estate planning
• Basic “rules of thumb” when assessing mental capacity
• Supreme Court of South Australia fires a warning shot to executors
• Will claims – Queensland widens de facto relationship dependency claims
• Will claims – South Australia comments on what is not a close domestic relationship
• South Australian Legislative Update – Advance Care Directives
• Estate Litigation Costs. Supreme Court of SA gives a caution
• Likely amendments to the Wills Act (SA) 1936
• Stop the Press! Important Changes to Triple S Super Regulations
• Triple Homicide and the Forfeiture Rule
• Charities: To defend or not to defend?
• The costly iPhone Will
• Competing Superannuation Claims
• Not every player wins a prize
• Til death do us right apart
• Superannuation death benefits and bankruptcy
• DIY Electronic Wills – Are we moving to a new normal?
• No postcard from the Philippines
• The Club incident and community values
• Payment of super benefits on death of member
• Confused and vague – did the Willmaker lack testamentary capacity?
• Its all Burmese to me
• Fail – SMSF binding nomination not so binding
• Wills Watch Alert – Statutory Wills – Incapacity

Related News

• Private Client Services: 2023 Year in Review
• Private Client Services: 2022 Year in Review
• 51 Piper Alderman lawyers recognised in The Best Lawyers® in Australia, 2022 edition