Bespoke will drafting for business owners
A will that names the business, vehicles and tools, says who takes what, and provides for a trade or café to continue or be wound up.
Wills & estates · Sunshine Coast
Wills & Estate Lawyer Buddina
Tradespeople, café owners and sole traders near the beach. For many Buddina households the business is the biggest asset, and the will has to deal with it.
Buddina is a balanced coastal family suburb with a working core: technicians and trades workers (15.5%) are the second-largest occupation group, and cafes and restaurants are among the top local industries (3.7%). Median age is 43, 37.3% of dwellings are owned outright, 28.4% mortgaged and 32.2% rented, and 13.5% are flats or apartments. A wills and estate lawyer Buddina owner-operators use builds the will around the trade or business, not just the house. The first conversation is free.
A sole trader's business effectively stops at death. Vehicles, plant and tools form part of the estate, and client work, licences and equipment may need someone to finish or wind it up. A café or small business may depend on a lease and a few key staff. A will that just says "everything to my spouse" leaves the executor to work out what the business is, what it owes and whether it can keep trading. We identify those assets specifically at the appointment.
First consultationFree and confidential
FeesFull fee quoted before drafting starts
WhereBirtinya office, by appointment
Why Buddina Business Owners Choose Catton Roderick
Our Birtinya office is a short drive from Buddina, and appointments are booked around working hours, not the other way round. Dr Darren Catton, the firm's principal, handles each wills matter personally. He holds a Doctorate of Juridical Science from QUT, carries the TEP designation for specialist trust and estate practitioners, and sits on the Queensland Law Society's Property Law committee. The firm states he has practised Queensland estate law for more than 30 years.
- Business and trade assets named specifically, rather than left to the residue.
- Lease and licence questions checked up front, so the executor knows what can continue.
- Free, confidential first consultation, full fee quoted before drafting.
- Executor guidance covering a business wind-up, where that is what the estate needs.
- Signed originals stored securely, with a copy for your records.
Our Wills and Estate Services for Buddina
Where a business sits in a company or trust, our commercial law team can assist alongside the estate planning. Enduring powers of attorney and probate are described here as general Queensland law only.
Estate planning and distribution strategy
Dividing an estate where the business is the main asset, including equalising children or a spouse who does not take it over.
Executor selection, with written guidance
An executor may need to keep a business trading or close it properly while administering the estate.
We help you choose someone equal to that and set out the steps in writing.
Family provision claims (Queensland)
How Queensland law treats claims by a spouse, child or dependant, most relevant where one person inherits the business and others do not.
What Buddina's Numbers Change About Your Will
Buddina has 4,236 residents, median age 43, and median household income of $1,721 a week. Couples with children (41.2%) and couples without (42.2%) are almost equal, with one-parent families at 14.8%. Professionals (24.1%), technicians and trades (15.5%) and managers (13.8%) lead the workforce, with hospitals, cafes and restaurants and primary education the top local industries. Median rent is $440 a week and median mortgage repayment $2,167 a month.
With a trades and small-business base, many Buddina wills need to cover income-producing assets as well as a home. That changes the questions we ask: who will run the business, whether the business can be sold, and whether the family needs the income or the capital. Our appointments start there, before the house and the super.
Areas We Serve
We act as a wills and estate lawyer for Buddina and the surrounding Sunshine Coast localities, from the Birtinya office:
Our Birtinya office, address and hours · Book a free consultation
FAQs
I'm a sole trader. What happens to my business if I die?
It generally stops. Vehicles, tools and equipment form part of your estate, and client work and licences may need addressing. A will should say who manages or winds up the business, and we work through those steps before drafting.
Should my business be in a company or trust for the estate?
That is a structuring question with tax and asset-protection effects, and it should be considered with an accountant. We can work with them to make sure the will and the business structure fit together.
My business lease is in my name. What happens to it?
A lease is an estate asset and may need the landlord's consent to transfer. We identify it in the will so the executor knows what to do with it.
Can I leave the business to one child and the house to the others?
Yes, and it is common. We set out how any imbalance is equalised, with cash, super or insurance, so the arrangement is clear and the risk of dispute is lower.
What does a will cost?
It depends on the complexity of the estate. The first consultation is free, and the full fee is quoted before work starts.
Buddina, and How to Reach Us
Buddina sits on the Sunshine Coast's coastal strip between Warana and Mooloolaba, in the Sunshine Coast Council area. It grew from a small coastal settlement into a family suburb close to the beach, the shopping centres and the Sunshine Coast's main road corridor. Today it is home to 4,236 people with a median age of 43.
Catton Roderick Lawyers
| Business | Catton Roderick Lawyers |
|---|---|
| Phone | 1300 673 792 |
| info@cattonroderick.com.au | |
| Office | Regatta 1 Business Centre, 2 Innovation Parkway, Birtinya QLD 4575 (by appointment) |
| Other offices | Unit 3, 9 East Street, Caboolture QLD 4510 (Mon–Fri 9–5) · Level 1, 133 Redcliffe Parade, Redcliffe QLD 4020 (Tue–Fri 9–5) |
| Serving | Buddina, Warana, Bokarina, Mooloolaba, Wurtulla and the wider Sunshine Coast |
We do not have a Buddina office. Buddina clients are seen at our Birtinya office by appointment.