Justin Hartnett is a Principal of Harwood Andrews wills and estates team and is an accredited Law Institute of Victoria specialist in wills and estates. 

Justin has a breadth of experience in the provision of specialised advice in relation to will preparation succession planning. 

Wills have become increasingly complex given the frequency of estate disputes, the increasing number of marriage breakdowns and blended families, and the substantial wealth that is being passed down from one generation to the next.  This often requires wills incorporating testamentary trusts or other complex content.

Justin also advises clients about superannuation death benefits and other assets which may not be necessarily governed by a will.  Assets in discretionary trusts fall within this category. 

Other aspects of Justin’s practice are applications to the Probate Office for grants of probate and letters of administration, applications to the Supreme Court concerning informal wills, and dealing with estate disputes conducted in either the Supreme Court or the County Court. 

Justin also has expertise in the area of powers of attorney and related documents and in making applications to the Guardianship and Administration Board seeking guardianship or administration orders and challenging enduring powers of attorney when attorneys behave badly. 

Justin has been recognized in Doyles guide as a Leading Wills and Estates Litigation Lawyer in Victoria since 2015, and a Leading Wills and Estates and Succession Planning Lawyer in Victoria since 2018.

Combining his love of music and talent on the saxophone, Justin likes to think that if he wasn’t a lawyer he would be a successful musician.  He enjoys a variety of sports including bike riding.