Guides

Plain English answers to the legal questions that come up in real life. Written and recorded by the team at Dawsons, for people in East Auckland.

Start with your situation

Articles and videos together, grouped by what is actually happening in your life.

Buying or selling a home

Agreements, deadlines, deposits, and the traps that show up after you sign.

See these guides

Wills and enduring powers of attorney

What happens to what you own, and who decides for you if you cannot.

See these guides

Family trusts

Setting one up, running it properly, and working out whether you still need it.

See these guides

Separation and relationship property

Contracting out agreements, dividing property, and what happens to an inheritance.

See these guides

Business and commercial

Buying or selling a business, leases, and the paperwork behind both.

See these guides

Everything, newest first

The full list of guides and videos, most recent at the top.

Browse all

Quick Links

About
Our Team
Contact Us
Locations

Get started online

Dawsons Lawyers is the trading name of the incorporated law firm Dawsons Lawyers Limited, a limited liability company registered in New Zealand (incorporation number 8125116)

DawsonsLawyers_Logo_Cloud.png
Buying this spring? 5 checks before you sign
A will works when you're gone. An EPA works when you can't. An enduring power of attorney lets someone you trust step in if you lose the ability to make decisions yourself. There are two kinds - property and personal care and welfare, and most peopl
Good company and great conversation at the Law Association East Auckland lawyers' lunch. Always a pleasure to connect with our fellow legal professionals across East Auckland. Pictured (left to right): Chris Chak, Parisa Feyz, Sammie Harris, Claire
The legal side of retiring is the part people forget, and it is far easier to sort while life is calm than in the middle of a health scare. Claire's new piece for Verve is a five-point checklist: review your will, set up enduring powers of attorney,
Myth: assets in a trust are automatically safe. Not quite. A trust only protects what it holds if it is run properly. One that is never reviewed, with no meetings and no records, can be looked through if it is ever challenged. That is only one reas
What a morning at the Bays Kids Market. Our team loved meeting so many local families, spinning the prize wheel, and chatting about how we help protect what matters most. A special mention to all the young entrepreneurs who ran their own stalls with
"Should we put the house in a trust?" We get asked this every week. The Trusts Act changed the rules. Trustees now have legal duties they can't opt out of, beneficiaries have a right to information, and running a trust properly takes work
Did you know getting married can cancel your existing will? It's one of five life events that quietly change what your will actually does, and most people miss at least one. New article on the blog covers all five, including the separation trap that
MYTH: "My partner automatically gets everything." Not if you have children, and possibly not at all if you've been together less than three years. The rules surprise almost everyone. Our guide explains it all - link in bio.