Wills & estates · Canberra, ACT
Wills & estates lawyers in Canberra: 32 lawyers and firms Doyle’s Guide ranks and places in Canberra and 3 more that Doyle’s ranks across the Australian Capital Territory without naming a city. Every card says which of those it is, and links the source.
Your first call for a wills and estates matter. Runs the matter from the first meeting — advice, negotiation, the paperwork, and court if it comes to that — and briefs a barrister when one is needed.
Contact the firm directlyA solicitor a law institute has accredited in a field after formal assessment. We show it only where the listing says so. Ask the firm which register records it.
Ask the firm, or check the registerAn advocate for hearings, trials and hard points of law. Some accept direct briefs from the public; most work comes through a solicitor.
Usually through your solicitor20 solicitors and 12 law firms, with Doyle’s Guide rankings where they exist and a register note on every listing. We group lawyers by what Doyle’s Guide published and what we have checked ourselves. Inside a group the order is alphabetical, and no lawyer here is rated above another by us.
Within this group the order is alphabetical. It is not a ranking.
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Law firm
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide First Tier 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · Bedfords Legal
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Recommended 2026 · Wills & Estates
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Doyle’s Guide ranking
Law firm
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Recommended 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · Thomsons
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Preeminent 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · BAL Lawyers
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Leading 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · BAL Lawyers
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Preeminent 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · Tetlow Legal
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Recommended 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · SHG Lawyers
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Recommended 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Law firm
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Recommended 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · BAL Lawyers
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Recommended 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Law firm
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Recommended 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Law firm
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide First Tier 2026 · Family & Divorce
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Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · DDCS Lawyers
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Leading 2026 · Wills & Estates
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Doyle’s Guide ranking
Law firm
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide First Tier 2026 · Family & Divorce
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · KJB Law
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Preeminent 2026 · Wills & Estates
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Doyle’s Guide ranking
Law firm
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Third Tier 2026 · Wills & Estates
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Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · Terracon Legal
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Recommended 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · Tetlow Legal
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Recommended 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · MV Law
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Leading 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · MV Law
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Leading 2026 · Wills & Estates
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Doyle’s Guide ranking
Law firm
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Second Tier 2026 · Wills & Estates
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Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · BAL Lawyers
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Leading 2026 · Wills & Estates
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Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · Glass Goodwin
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Leading 2026 · Wills & Estates
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Doyle’s Guide ranking
Law firm
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Second Tier 2026 · Property & Real Estate
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Doyle’s Guide ranking
Law firm
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Recommended 2026 · Personal Injury
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Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · Clear Law
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Recommended 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Law firm
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide First Tier 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · Tetlow Legal
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Preeminent 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Law firm
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Second Tier 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · Brightstone Legal
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Recommended 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · Brightsone Legal
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Recommended 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Solicitor · Farrar Gesini Dunn
Canberra, ACT
Doyle’s Guide Recommended 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
No lawyers match those filters.
Doyle’s Guide tiers are Doyle’s, from its peer survey, reproduced with attribution. Google ratings are ratings of the firm, not of an individual lawyer. Sponsored placements are labelled. Nobody pays to be listed.
Doyle’s Guide scopes these lists to the Australian Capital Territory and publishes no city for any listee, so we cannot tell you which of them work in Canberra — we are showing them here because Canberra is the state’s legal centre, not because Doyle’s places them in it. Each card links the exact list it came from.
Within this group the order is alphabetical. It is not a ranking.
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Barrister · Blackburn Chambers
ACT
Doyle’s Guide Leading 2026 · Family & Divorce
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Barrister · Key Chambers
ACT
Doyle’s Guide Recommended 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Doyle’s Guide ranking
Barrister · Blackburn Chambers
ACT
Doyle’s Guide Recommended 2026 · Wills & Estates
Not yet on Lawyer Reviews — this ranking is Doyle’s
Wills, estates and succession law is state-administered — each state has its own succession legislation, family provision regime, and probate registry. Estate planning straddles legal and tax advice; contested estate matters are litigation with their own evidence and procedure. Early estate planning typically saves substantial dispute cost later.
Canberra hosts the High Court of Australia and the Federal Court of Australia (principal registry), making it a major venue for constitutional, public-law and federal-jurisdiction matters. ACT Supreme Court and Magistrates Court handle territory matters. The Law Society of the ACT and ACT Bar Association regulate the profession.
Regulators: Law Society of the ACT (actlawsociety.asn.au) and ACT Bar Association (actbar.com.au)
ACT Supreme Court Probate Registry. Family provision under Family Provision Act 1969 (ACT) within 12 months of grant.
Indicative fees drawn from published cost data. Confirm in writing with any firm before engaging — written costs disclosure is mandatory under the Legal Profession Uniform Law.
| Pathway / matter type | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Simple will | $450–$1,150 | |
| Probate | $2,200–$6,000 + fees | |
| Family provision | $22,000–$75,000 |
For the full wills & estates cost breakdown across Australia, see our Wills & estates cost guide.
Matter types we see most often in our intake from Canberra and surrounding suburbs.
Single wills, mirror wills (couples), wills with testamentary trusts, powers of attorney, enduring guardianship, advance care directives. Tax-effective structures for high-net-worth estates often involve trust planning.
Application to Supreme Court for grant of probate (where there is a will) or letters of administration (where there isn’t). Filing fees scale with estate value. Administration includes notifying creditors, realising assets, paying debts, and distributing to beneficiaries.
Eligible persons may apply for further provision from a deceased estate where inadequately provided for. Time limits are strict and vary by state — 12 months in NSW from death (s58 Succession Act); 6 months from grant in VIC. Most claims settle at mediation.
Claims that a will is invalid — defective execution, lack of testamentary capacity, undue influence. Expert medical evidence usually required. High-cost litigation.
Disputes about asset valuation, distribution, executor conduct. Often resolved by mediation; court intervention available where executors are obstructing.
Family trusts, discretionary trusts, SMSF death benefit nominations. Interaction between estate and trust assets is a common area of dispute — trust assets are usually outside the estate but binding death benefit nominations control superannuation.
Five questions that determine whether the lawyer in front of you is the right fit for your matter.
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Other practice areas in Canberra
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