What are your responsibilities if you agree to be an Executor? paper

Donal Griffin

Donal Griffin is admitted as a lawyer in New South Wales, Australia and Ireland and has 30 years’ experience. Donal has a Masters degree in Wills and Estates. Helping families with business interests is his passion and he goes further than most lawyers by assisting families actually do the transitions, which is easier said than done. One tool he offers is a “pre-nup for siblings” as adult children struggle to share an inherited discretionary trust or estate. He is a lifelong learner and is mentored by Jay Hughes. He has written down some of this wisdom in his second book called “Be A Better Ancestor – Build one of the great families”. He is a better lawyer because he is a family adviser and businessman and he is a better family adviser and businessman because he is a lawyer. He also has a certificate in family systems theory and application from the Family Systems Institute (over 160 hours of course work which suggests to him that he should have received more than a lowly certificate). This helps him understand the clients in the context of their family. He is teaching his practical approach to other professionals who “get it” and want to do more of this work. This course is called “Be A Better Adviser”. Donal describes himself as a “Macquarie Street GP” but really thinks he is the Consigliere in the Godfather, Tom Hagen’s character. He drafts Wills, pre-nups, trusts and is the first point of contact for family members with legal issues, even criminal issues. The best question he gets asked is, “What do other people like me do?” The firm is a repository for the answers to this question. - Current at 06 July 2026