Family Lawyer Singapore

A marriage will be one of the most, if not the most, important relationship in our life. Unfortunately, marriage is not impervious to conflict and strife. An unhappy or loveless marriage may be damaging to both the physical and psychological health of husband and wife in the long-term. In some instances, it may be better for both parties to go their separate ways.

We know that divorce, separation or annulment can, for the most part, be emotionally agonising to go through. There will invariably be a lot on your plate – we invite you to leave everything else to our team od divorce lawyers. Our commitment to our clients is to help them through the pain and uncertainty in a professional yet empathetic manner, while always robustly defending our clients’ rights, and seeking justice and fairness in the obligations of both parties to the marriage as they look to move on with their respective lives.

We will walk you through and advise you on the divorce, separation or annulment process as well as the ancillary matters – your children, your assets, and your finances. We will help you to achieve a realistic and satisfying outcome so that you can move on and look ahead to better and brighter days.

Children are gifts. We firmly believe that children are best-placed to realise their potential in a healthy family unit under the care of loving parents. Where the family unit is less than ideal, we know that it is even more important that children continue to receive support and attention from both parents. It is this understanding that forms the basis of our approach to issues of child custody, care and control, and child maintenance in relation to the divorce/separation cases that we undertake.

Children are young and vulnerable and often, they do not have a voice in the event their parents are in conflict and end up choosing to go their separate ways. We hope to work alongside you, your ex-spouse, and the Court to ensure that the children’s best interests are always protected at all times going forward.

We also take great joy in bringing families together. We are experienced in and have advised extensively on numerous adoption matters (with a niche in stepchild adoption). We have walked many couples through the legal process and requirements of adopting a child in Singapore. While the adoption process requires liaising with various agencies and government bodies over what can be quite a lengthy process, you can have peace of mind with us as your go-between.

Every child deserves the best and happiest childhood, and we are here to fight for that.

It is impossible to talk about will writing without first talking about death. Death comes to all, and it would be irresponsible not to make plans for what will one day come. A well-written and clear will is an asset on its own – think of the time and money that your future generations can save if your final instructions to them are well-defined and unequivocal.

We have extensive experience in writing wills, from simple wills for the man in the street to complex wills with multiple trust clauses for high-net worth individuals. We also serve ‘repeat’ clients who come back to us for fresh advice and to update their wills as and when their personal circumstances change.

On the other hand, we also have experience in handling inheritance disputes and contesting of wills. We have acted for both plaintiffs and defendants in inheritance disputes, advising clients on what can or cannot be done in the distribution of a deceased person’s estate. Unfortunately, most of such matters are usually contested between family members. We understand that such cases take on an added level of personal significance and may prove even more difficult to advance. As ever, we will look to robustly enforce and defend your rights and obligations, while respecting and giving weight to the sanctity of familial relationships.

Over and above the drafting of wills, some of our clients wish to provide their families with more in-depth instructions on how their properties and assets should be distributed not only to their immediate descendants, but to the future generations as well. For example, they may want the income generated from their business, or from the rental of their properties, to be put into a trust fund for the benefit of their children and grandchildren.

In such cases, Testamentary Trusts and Family Trusts may serve as suitable instruments for making such instructions clear. We have advised and drafted for our clients Testamentary Trusts and Family Trusts that demarcate relevant properties and assets to be held on trust and subsequently distributed. We are also able to advise on the setting up of Family Offices or other trust arrangements for the client who wishes to leave a legacy for charitable or private purposes.

We are aware that each client has his or her different motivations and intentions in creating such trusts. We are more than happy to sit down with you to understand those motivations and intentions, and help you to realise the legacy you wish to create.

We understand the emotional pain and trauma that accompanies the death of a loved one. It can be a trying time. While your loved one may have made a will and named you as executor, you cannot collect your loved one’s assets until you obtain a Grant of Probate from Court. We are able to assist you in such application and help you to speedily obtain a Grant of Probate.

The above also applies, albeit with some slight modifications, if your loved one passed away without a will. We are able to assist in any application for Letters of Administration, including the obtaining of consent of family members who may otherwise be more or equally entitled to apply for the Letters of Administration. We can also help you to write to banks and insurance companies to make inquiries on whether your loved one maintained any accounts and policies with them.

Ultimately, we aim to relieve your burden while you grieve and come to terms with your loss. You can place your trust in us to walk you through and otherwise manage the process on your behalf so you can devote your time and attention to fulfilling your loved one’s final wishes.