Lachlan Vallance
Director & Principal Lawyer | Wills & Estates

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 remains committed to remaining at the forefront of his field. 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. Lachlan is also regularly approached by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to oversee or review the financial affairs of individuals with disabilities.

Some testimonials

• Doyle's Guide - Lachlan Vallance, voted by his peers in the categories of Leading Wills & Estates Litigation Lawyers and Leading Wills, Estates & Succession Planning Lawyers - Victoria, 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

Lawyers Weekly Partner of the Year Awards 2024 | Finalist Wills & Estates

About Lachlan

Lachlan's interests include travel, playing football and tennis, running and working on the family farm on the weekends.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Laws - University of Melbourne
• Bachelor of Commerce - University of Melbourne
• Accredited Specialist - Wills & Estates - Law Institute of Victoria
• Trust & Estate Practitioner

Admissions

• Supreme Court of Victoria
• High Court of Australia

Memberships and Committees

• Law Institute of Victoria
• BNI Australia
• Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP)