Hobart Estates Firm Cuts Probate Drafting Time in Half
A 4-lawyer Hobart wills and estates practice uses Quillio to draft probate and letters of administration applications under the Administration and Probate Act 1935 (Tas). The firm cut drafting time per application from 4 hours to just over 90 minutes across 75 matters in 4 months.
What they were trying to solve
Tasmania's smaller probate registry and the specific requirements of the Supreme Court Rules 2000 (Tas) meant that every application needed careful checking. The principal was personally reviewing every inventory of assets, and the paralegal was manually comparing asset lists to bank statements and share registries. Turnaround for grieving families had crept out to 6-8 weeks.
Why Quillio
Quillio was configured to produce the probate or letters of administration application, the affidavit of executor, the inventory of assets, and the draft Notice of Intention to Apply. The paralegal now runs the intake through Quillio, the senior lawyer reviews the flagged items, and the application is lodged through the Tasmanian probate registry.
Implementation
The firm ran a fortnight-long parallel process on 8 applications before cutting over. Supreme Court Tasmania formatting requirements were calibrated against the registry checklist.
Measurable outcomes
From intake to lodgement-ready application
From instruction to lodgement with the Tasmanian probate registry
Fewer follow-up requests from the registry due to more complete first-lodgement packages
Same team now handles more estate matters per month
Cross-checked against bank and share registry statements
"Families come to us in the hardest weeks of their lives. Getting the grant through in three weeks instead of two months actually matters to them. The drafting time saved is real, but the part I care most about is that we're no longer the reason they're waiting."
How it works in practice
Probate and letters of administration drafting under the Administration and Probate Act 1935 (Tas), inventory of assets preparation, and family provision claim analysis.
What they avoided
Hiring an additional estates paralegal and passing the cost back to grieving families, or allowing the grant turnaround time to stretch further.
Case study FAQs
Does Quillio handle letters of administration too?
Yes — both grant of probate applications where there is a will and letters of administration applications where there is no will, under the Administration and Probate Act 1935 (Tas).
What about intestate estates with unknown beneficiaries?
Quillio produces the genealogical research template and the draft notices for the Tasmanian Government Gazette. The practitioner still oversees the genealogical enquiries.
Does it flag potential family provision claims?
Yes — Quillio identifies potential claimants under the Testator's Family Maintenance Act 1912 (Tas) based on the intake disclosure, and flags them for the senior lawyer to discuss with the executor.
How does the registry feel about AI-drafted applications?
The registry sees the lodged application, not how it was drafted. The firm reports fewer requisitions since adopting Quillio because the applications are more consistently complete on first lodgement.
Can it handle Queensland and Victorian probate too?
Yes — Quillio supports probate applications in every Australian jurisdiction. This firm only uses the Tasmanian workflow, but interstate probate is covered if needed.
Run the same pilot.
Estates practices should trial Quillio on their next 5 probate applications. Start a free trial.
Start your free trial