Legal Health
Barometer
I
invite you to go through the following assessment to see if you need legal
help.
Marriage
Are you married? Yes
□ No □
If so, are you aware of the pitfalls
of a marriage in community of property? Yes □ No □
Do you know that you can convert
your marriage in community of property to one out of community of property, to
protect the assets of one or both spouses?
Cohabitation
Are you living together? Yes
□ No □
Do you know that there is no such
thing as a “common law marriage” in our law and that if you choose not to get
married, you do not enjoy the same protection as married couples? Yes
□ No □
To protect yourself, you should
conclude a cohabitation, or life partnership, agreement.
Wills
Do you have a will? Yes
□ No □
If not, why not? If you appoint me
as the executor of your will, I won’t charge you to draft the will.
Noisy
Neighbours
Do you live in an urban area? Yes
□ No □
If so, are you troubled by noisy
neighbours, and do you know what your legal remedies are?
Property
Are you about to buy or sell a
property? Yes □ No □
Do you know how important it is to
have an independent inspection done so that both parties know what defects may
exist? In this way, you can avoid legal disputes once the ink on the paperwork
has dried.
Are you a landlord or a tenant? Yes
□ No □
Are you aware that there is a legal
obligation on the landlord to invest your deposit in an interest-bearing
account, and on the part of both parties to inspect the leased premises on
taking occupation and on termination of the lease?
Employment
Law
Are you an employer or an
employee?
Are you aware of your legal rights
and obligations concerning your employment relationship? For example, if your
employee is underperforming, do you know what steps you have to follow to
improve performance or, if necessary, take steps that may lead to his or her
dismissal?
Company Act
compliance
Are you a director of a company or
do you hold an executive position?
Yes □ No □
If so, are you aware of your
responsibilities as a director or a prescribed officer, and the consequences
(such as personal liability or even criminal prosecution) if you do not comply
strictly with the provisions of the new companies act?
Consumer
Protection Act
Are you aware of the provisions of
the Consumer Protection Act? Yes □ No □
The rights of the consumer are
entrenched and it is very important that a supplier of goods or services
revisits its application for credit and terms and conditions, to make sure that
it is fully compliant with the act.
Divorce
Mediation
Are you in an unhappy relationship
and considering divorce? Yes □ No □
If so, have you given thought to
approaching an accredited divorce mediator to facilitate a resolution of the
dispute? Adopting this approach will minimise the stress and certainly save you
a great deal of money. A holistic approach is always a better option.
Deceased
estates
Have you recently lost a loved one? Yes
□ No □
We offer a free initial consultation to
discuss the quickest and most cost-effective way of finalising your loved one’s
deceased estate, thereby giving you peace of mind during your period of
bereavement.
Rights of
grandparents
Are you a grandparent? Yes
□ No □
If so, do you experience any
difficulties in seeing your grandchildren?
Divorced
spouse lives overseas
Are you divorced and do your
ex-spouse and children live overseas? Yes □ No □
Do you have adequate contact with
your children?
Estate
Planning
Did you know that if you die with an
estate worth more than R3.5 million, your estate will pay the taxman estate
duty of 20% on the surplus? Yes □ No □
Have you considered minimising this
effect by careful estate planning?
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