Lachlan Vallance | Accredited Wills & Estates Lawyer Melbourne & Mt Waverley

Expertise

Lachlan Vallance is a highly respected Wills and Estates Lawyer and Accredited Specialist in Wills & Estates, leading his extensive team across both our Melbourne CBD and Mount Waverley offices. With a dedication to promptness, sensitivity, and utmost discretion, Lachlan adeptly manages all matters within the realm of Wills & Estates.

He offers expert guidance on a wide array of estate planning concerns, ranging from drafting straightforward wills to navigating intricate testamentary trusts, powers of attorney (financial &/or personal), advance care directives, appointment of medical treatment decision makers, inheritances, and superannuation issues.

Lachlan's expertise extends to administering deceased estates and obtaining grants of representation (probate/letters of administration), as well as providing counsel on challenges to wills and claims against estates. His understanding of both legal and taxation intricacies equips him to handle all Wills & Estates matters effectively.

Lachlan assists clients with succession planning, whether involving superannuation and life insurance or strategising for business continuity. From a farming background, Lachlan possesses firsthand insight into the unique challenges faced by rural communities, making him well-suited to offer tailored advice on farm succession planning.

As a Law Institute of Victoria Accredited Specialist in Wills & Estates and a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), Lachlan is widely recognised as a leader in his field. In 2025, he was recognised by Doyle’s Guide as one of Australia’s Leading Wills & Estates Litigation Lawyers, in addition to his longstanding recognition at the state level.

Lachlan has been ranked by Doyle’s Guide as a Preeminent Wills & Estates Litigation Lawyer (Vic) for four consecutive years (following three years as Leading) and as a Leading Wills, Estates & Succession Planning Lawyer (Vic) for the past four years (after two years as Recommended).

Clients frequently entrust him with roles such as executor of estates and attorney under Enduring Powers of Attorney. Notably, he is among the select practitioners appointed by the Supreme Court of Victoria to serve as an independent administrator and/or trustee of complex estates and trusts in the Trusts, Equity & Probate List, and he is regularly engaged by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to oversee or review the financial affairs of individuals with disabilities.

Some testimonials

Doyle’s Guide – Recognised nationally and in Victoria
- Leading Wills & Estates Litigation Lawyer – Australia, 2025
- Leading Wills & Estates Litigation Lawyer – Victoria, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015
- Leading Wills, Estates & Succession Planning Lawyer – Victoria, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015
Lachlan Vallance and Andrea Bolitho assisted me with a deceased estate case that originally did not belong to your firm, but rather to Weston Gambetta, which is now closed due to Clive Weston retiring. However, they were more than happy to assist me in the matter and my brother, and I are so thankful for their willingness to help us out. Fabulous service. It looks like we have now found our new family solicitors. Thank you so much.
N V, Wills & Estates Client
Hi Andrea and Lachlan, we would like to thank you both for your help and guidance in enabling us, as executors, to deal with Mum's affairs and to complete probate and the administration of her estate. The journey was a new one for both of us, and the recommendation to use HOCW by a friend was definitely a good one. We will happily direct work to your office. Your help, in cheerful, clear and understandable English, made our task far easier, and more fulfilling."
E W & R W, Wills & Estates Client