Caroline Harley
Principal Lawyer
+61 7 3544 5689
charley@aitken.com.au
Caroline Harley
Areas of Law: Wills and Estates
Qualifications: Bachelor of Arts | Bachelor of Laws | Master of Laws (Applied Law) | Master of Laws (Legal Practice) | Specialist SMSF Adviser®
Office Location: Brisbane
Experience
Caroline is a Brisbane-based wills and estates lawyer and Principal Lawyer at Aitken Partners. She advises individuals, families, trustees, family offices and business owners on estate planning, trusts, superannuation and succession planning matters. Caroline has also worked with family offices and multi-family offices to assist some of Australia’s most successful families.
Admitted to practise in 2008, Caroline has built an extensive career advising clients on the complex legal and financial issues that arise in estate planning and wealth succession. Drawing on her experience across private practice, professional trustee services and in-house legal roles, she provides strategic and practical advice tailored to each client's unique circumstances and long-term objectives.
Caroline holds four degrees; with a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws, a Master of Laws (Legal Practice) and a Master of Laws (Estate Planning and Wills and Estates).
Caroline has particular expertise in intergenerational wealth transfer and assists clients with preserving wealth and structuring through wills, trusts and superannuation arrangements. She works closely with clients to develop estate planning strategies that account for family dynamics, business interests, financial arrangements and future aspirations, helping to create security for future generations.
Prior to joining Aitken Partners, Caroline established and operated her own boutique law firm. She has also worked with one of Australia's largest professional trustee companies, advising on estate administration, trust operations and financial management matters, and served as in-house counsel for an APRA-regulated superannuation fund with a focus on death benefit payments and related legal issues.
Caroline is recognised as a Self Managed Super Fund Specialist Advisor® and a Trusts and Estates Practitioner (TEP). She is a respected industry contributor who has published articles in legal and financial journals, presented technical papers at industry conferences for more than a decade and was a finalist for Legal Counsel of the Year at the 2017 Women in Finance Awards.
Caroline has worked with Boards and was part of the Regulatory Advisory Committee for the SMSF Association during the 2017 superannuation legislative changes.
Caroline has also served on The Law Society of New South Wales Elder Law and Succession Committee and Specialist Accreditation Wills & Estates Advisory Committee.
Wills & Estates Services
Caroline advises clients across a broad range of wills and estates matters.
Estate Planning and Succession Planning
• Wills and estate planning
• Testamentary Trust Wills
• Complex estate planning strategies
• Intergenerational wealth transfer
• Family succession planning
• Asset protection strategies
• Business succession planning
Trusts
• Family trust establishment
• Trust administration
• Business trust establishment
• Trust deed reviews, advice and amendments
• Trustee advice and support
• Trust succession planning
Superannuation & SMSFs
• Self Managed Super Funds (SMSFs)
• Superannuation Death Benefit Objections
• Superannuation succession planning
• Binding Death Benefit Nominations
• Superannuation death benefit advice
• SMSF compliance matters
Probate & Estate Administration
• Probate applications
• Letters of Administration
• Estate administration
• Executor and trustee advice
• Estate distribution matters
Industries & Clients
Caroline advises a broad range of clients, including:
• Individuals and families
• Business owners
• High-net-worth individuals
• Trustees
• Family offices and Multi-Family Offices
• Professionals
• SMSF members and trustees
• Executors and administrators
Professional Involvement
Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)
Caroline is recognised as a Trusts and Estates Practitioner (TEP) by the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, the leading international professional body for trusts and estates practitioners.
SMSF Association
Caroline is recognised as a Self Managed Super Fund Specialist Advisor® by the SMSF Association.
Industry Recognition
Caroline has contributed to legal and financial publications and presented technical papers at industry conferences for more than a decade. In 2017, she was a finalist for Legal Counsel of the Year at the Women in Finance Awards.
Queensland Law Society
Caroline is a current member of the Queensland Law Society, supporting her commitment to professional excellence and ongoing legal development.