be retained to open an estate or offer service during the course of probate proceedings on behalf of the administrator or executor of the estate. Probate lawyers may also represent heirs, creditors and other parties who have a legal interest in the outcome of the estate. In common law jurisdictions, probate ("official proving of a will") is obtained by executors of a will while letters of administration are granted where there are no executors. Australia In Australia, probate can refer to the process of proving the will of a deceased person and also to a grant of probate, the legal document that is obtained. There is a Supreme Court probate registry in each jurisdiction that deals with probate applications. However, each state and territory has slightly different laws and processes in relation to probate. The main probate legislation is as follows: New South Wales—Probate and Administration Act 1898. Victoria—Administration and Probate Act 1958. Queensland—Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1999 and Succession Act 1981. Western Australia—Non‑contentious Probate Rules 1967. South Australia—Administration and Probate Act 1919. Tasmania—Administration and Probate Act 1935. Australian Capital Territory—Administration and Probate Act 1929. Northern Territory—Administration and Probate Act 1993. Application for grant of probate Probate is required if the deceased person owned real property or if his or her other assets are above the threshold amount, which is usually $50,000 for major banks and lower thresholds for other financial institutions. Assets that had been “owned jointly” (but not assets held “in common”) pass automatically to the other joint owner and do not form part of the deceased estate. Also, benefits from life insurance on the deceased paid directly to a nominee is not part of the estate, nor are trust assets held by the deceased as trustee. Applications for probate are made to the probate office in the jurisdiction with which the deceased has a close connection, not necessarily where the person died. Normally, only the executor of a will can apply for a grant of probate, and it is their duty to obtain probate in a timely manner. Executors can apply for probate themselves (which is often done to reduce legal fees) or be represented by a lawyer. With the application for probate, the applicant must also provide the original of the will, an official death certificate (not the one issued by a medical professional), a copy of the death notice and a statement of the known