Profile
Rod is a leading succession and trusts practitioner in Piper Alderman’s Private Client Services team.
His expertise includes advising on trust law, including charitable trusts and foundations, will trusts, self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) and trust related corporate, property and commercial issues. For more than two decades he has advised family businesses on succession strategies and related dispute resolution.
Rod regularly represents trust beneficiaries and institutional and individual trustees upon fiduciary duties, trust administration and is an experienced advocate in complex family inheritance disputes and contested wills and trust estates. He regularly appears in the Supreme Court in those disputes. His experience is recognised by his full membership of the international Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP).
His expertise to advise on SMSFs is recognised by his accreditation as a SMSF Specialist Advisor (SAA)TM by the SMSF Association of Australia.
Since 2022, Rod has been recognised by The Best Lawyers in Australiatm for his work in Wealth Management / Succession Planning Practice.
Expertise
Recognition
Accolades
- Best Lawyers in Australia – Recognised for Wealth Management / Succession Planning Practice (Adelaide, AU) – Since 2022 edition
- Doyle’s Guide – Recommended Lawyer for Wills, Estates & Succession Planning – SA, 2019 & 2022
- Doyle’s Guide – Leading Lawyer for Wills, Estates & Succession Planning – SA, 2019
- Doyle’s Guide – Recommended Lawyer for Wills, Estates & Succession Planning – SA, 2017 to 2018 and 2020
- Doyle’s Guide – Recommended Lawyer for Wills & Estates Litigation – SA, 2015 to 2017 & 2020
Recent deals and media coverage
- Young lawyers learn the ropes for SA emerging industries – InDaily, 7 December 2021
Memberships
- South Australian Local Community Chair, SMSF Association
- Committee Member, STEP – SA Branch
- Founding past Chair, Country Arts Foundation
Insights
01 April 2021
Production of will files in Estate Litigation: check your (legal professional) privilege
Read More19 June 2020
Estate Costs: Executors need to be timely but beneficiaries should also hasten to caution
Read More14 May 2020
SMSF Death Benefits – Exercising real and genuine trustee discretion – Wareham v Marsella [2020]...
Read More03 July 2019
A new dawn for superannuation complaints – Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA)
Read More12 September 2018
Attorneys & Super – can they make a valid Binding Death Benefit Nomination?
Read More16 November 2017
No second bite at cherry for former spouse – Lodin v Lodin overturned on appeal
Read More10 November 2017
Are life insurance policies protected from a deceased person’s post-death tax liabilities?
Read More13 July 2017