Aims to Promote Public's Awareness of the Importance of Estate Planning while Benefitting Bespoke Charities
HONG KONG, Sept. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Oldham, Li & Nie ("OLN"), Hong Kong's National Law Firm of the Year 2011 (Chambers & Partners), announced today the launch of its FreeWill initiative, a first of its kind in Hong Kong. "We are proud to introduce FreeWill, a charitable programme to promote the critical importance of estate planning – something about which our Firm has intimate working knowledge," says Gordon Oldham, Senior Partner at OLN.
With the abolition of Estate Duty in Hong Kong in 2006, today many Hong Kong residents are under the misconception they do not need a will. FreeWill's purpose is to help individuals deal with the complexities of estate planning, thereby simplifying the probate process and protecting their legacies for their loved ones.
"Most people think they do not need a Will," says Alfred Ip, Probate & Estate Planning Partner at OLN. "They either think it costs too much or they have nothing really to pass on or that things will somehow sort themselves out automatically. And for the small percentage of those that do know the importance of having a Will, they often never put making a Will – or reviewing an existing one in light of changes in life circumstances – on their priority list. So we've made it easy for them."
Linking up with long-standing Hong Kong-based charity partner Child Welfare Scheme ("CWS"), OLN has pledged to prepare and witness the signing of a professionally drafted simple Will for any donor who contributes HK$1,000 to CWS.
"We are delighted to work with OLN on this initiative. This is really a win-win situation," says Jackie Ng, Chief Executive of CWS. "Our charity and the children's' programmes it supports clearly stand to benefit from increased charitable contributions. And, all donors will receive OLN's time and expertise in exchange for their relatively minor, but well-received, philanthropic acts."
The FreeWill campaign with CWS will commence 1 September and run for one month. Other charities have been identified and their selection to partner with OLN will be announced as FreeWill continues over the coming months into 2012.
"We hope that FreeWill will help make having a Will more of a priority," says Gordon Oldham. "We are happy our work will benefit CWS, and other worthy charities in the future, as well as Hong Kong society in general."
More information can be found on the website of OLN (www.oln-law.com) or CWS (www.cwshk.org).
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About OLN
Oldham, Li & Nie is a highly successful mid-sized law firm with over 25 lawyers admitted to practice in one or more jurisdictions, including Hong Kong, mainland China, Australia, France, and the United Kingdom. Founded in 1987, the Firm's principal focus is on corporate and commercial, dispute resolution, intellectual property, matrimonial and private client services. OLN also has a thriving China practice, carried on from its Hong Kong and Shanghai offices and when necessary, through its legal network in China. OLN is a member of Globalaw and was voted Hong Kong's National Law Firm of the Year (2011) by Chambers & Partners.
About CWS
CWS HK is a Hong Kong registered charity (No. 865654) that was created in 2003 initially to raise funds to support its partners in Nepal. CWS projects in Nepal are monitored by its dedicated team who work with local, grassroots NGOs to provide education, health care and social opportunities to children and their communities. In 2011, CWS HK started its first project in Hong Kong, project Share, for young people from less privileged suburbs of Hong Kong to give back to a community that has been so supportive of CWS projects in Nepal.
