Ann’s Vision
Ann Janssen founded the firm in 2009 based on her vision to deliver first-class estate planning services to clients at an accessible cost. Her reasoning was that if a law firm only focussed on this area of law, it would quickly become expert and efficient at it. This has proven to be true, and now Estate First Lawyers has become one of the largest estate planning teams of its type operating Australia wide. The firm consistently receives very high feedback ratings from clients and Advisors.
Education & Credentials
Ann is one of only thirty-eight Queensland Law Society Accredited Specialists in Succession law and is a registered Trust and Estate Practitioner with the international organisation STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners).
Ann has a Bachelor of Laws with Honours and a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from the University of Queensland. She also graduated with a Master of Business Administration in 2004, taking out the Graduate School of Management prize for best MBA of the year. Ann is currently studying to become an SMSF Specialist Advisor, which, along with her Specialist qualifications in Succession law, will make her one of only a handful of dual accredited specialists in Australia.
Expertise
Ann has over 20 years of experience in estate planning law. She is noted for delivering innovative solutions to blended families and strategies to prevent inheritances going ‘L’ shaped® (that is, to stop inheritances from ending up in the hands of unintended recipients). Ann also deals with the estate planning matters in the firm which involve complex advice regarding how various structures pass on the death of key participants, including self-managed super funds, companies and family trusts. She is a keen advocate of testamentary trusts as a tax-effective tool in inheritance planning.
Memberships & Board Positions
Ann is on the Australian board of directors for Women in Super and the charity Mission without Borders. She is also a member of the Australian Tax Institute, The Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners, QLD Law Society, Women in Super and Mensa Australia.
Ann is also a Committee member on two Qld Law Society committees – the Annual Succession and Elder Law Conference and the Succession Law Specialist Accreditation Advisory Committee.
Speaking & Presentations
Ann is a noted speaker on her pet subjects of estate planning and business. Advisors and Super funds have invited her to speak at a number of large client functions and audiences rate her highly for her engaging style and content. In addition to client presentations, Ann is experienced at providing training and education to Advisors and has put together training programs from foundational to masterclass level for financial advisors, accountants and others involved with estate planning. Ann has also spoken at Universities and Legal Conferences (for Qld Law Society and STEP).
Whether public speaking or meeting with a client, Ann can communicate complex estate planning information in a powerful but simplified way, sharing from her many stories and insights coming from years of experience.
Credentials
- Lawyer & Qld Law Society Accredited Specialist (Succession)
- BA (Econ)
- LLB (Hons)
- MBA (Dist)
- TEP (Registered Trust & Estate Practitioner)
- National Director: Women in Super
- Director: Mission without Borders Aus
- Member, Qld Law Society
- Member, Tax Institute
- Member, Mensa Australia
Expertise
- Specialist estate lawyer
- Complex estate planning
- Testamentary trusts and protective trusts in Wills
- Asset protection strategies
- Blended family estate planning
- Estate planning for Super
- Estate planning for entities
- Strategies to minimise the risk of an estate claim
- Leadership and quality management
- Advisor training & education
- Public speaking
- Client presentations
Testimonial
"We are very grateful that our financial advisor referred us to Estate First Lawyers for our estate planning. The expertise and professionalism of Special Counsel, Ann Janssen, in guiding us through the process, was exceptional. Ann provided our whole family with invaluable knowledge on estate planning structures. We now have peace of mind knowing our estate plans are finalised and effectively structured to offer maximum protection and ongoing benefit to our children. We feel we have given our daughters a gift of love that will keep on giving long after our death. What an empowering and satisfying experience!"
Testimonial
"I just wanted to say thanks for your time and that was one of the most enjoyable presentations in a long time. I really liked the trust in the team to present varied parts of the story and particularly enjoyed the innocuous banter. It was a fantastic demonstration of how affable and proficient your team is and I didn’t want to let the moment go by without acknowledging this. I’ll certainly keep you all in mind as estate opportunities come up!"
Testimonial
"Ann was extremely relevant and informative. One of the best and more informative presenters I have seen. Most appreciated and I will contact Ann in the near future."
