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See You Later, 2025: What Fisk Taught Us About Heart-Centered Law By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi December 26, 2025 As we prepare to say “See You Later Mate” to 2025, many of us are looking for a bit of "Gal Pal O’Clock" energy offered up in the Australian comedy Fisk.  The Season 3 finale wasn't just about the quirky chaos of Gruber & Associates; it was a masterclass in embracing growth and the (sometimes messy) evolution of our professional lives.  Without spoiling the heartwarming pivots Helen and her colleagues make, there is a specific thread in the episode that struck a chord with me. It’s a list of attributes one should look for in quality legal counsel. But as I reflected on them, I realized they aren't just for lawyers—they are the gold standard for any partnership we enter into, whether in business, health, or creative endeavors. The Power of the "Good Listener" In a world that prizes the "loudest voice in the room," Helen Tudor-Fisk rem...

Precision Over Poetry: Why "Legalese" Actually Protects Your Estate By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi December 19, 2025  In Season 3, Episode 5 of Fisk, we see Helen powering through a marathon of client meetings while the rest of the office descends into its usual brand of chaos. But one specific client interaction perfectly captures a question I hear almost weekly in my own office: “Why does a Will have to have so much legalese?” In this episode, Helen is presented with a Will written by a poet. Seeking to make his final testament a "work of art," he traded clarity for metaphor. Helen’s reaction—“Yeah, I’m sorry, what am I looking at here?”—is the exact face many executors make when they encounter a DIY or "creative" Will. The Problem with "Art" in Legal Documents As Helen wisely points out, “Art means different things to different people.” While that is the beauty of poetry, it is the downfall of an estate plan. When a Will goes to probate, we aren...

Estate Planning Lessons from Fisk: Can You Really Control Your Property After You're Gone? By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi December 12, 2025 If I were an Estate Planning and Probate Law Professor I would certainly use episodes of the Australian comedy Fisk to educate my students.  For example, Season Three, Episode Four, Entitled The Sandman is in the Building, finds Helen and her co-workers temporarily moved to a co-working space due to a bomb threat on their main office. While an Ethics professor would have fun mining the ethical challenges of an attorney working out a co-working space, my lesson would zero in on a conversation Helen has with a set of clients who appear to be sisters. Glennys and Jean live together in a home Glennys owns; she had inherited it from her parents.  Jean voices her concerns to Helen saying “Glennys wants to change the will and leave the house to the church in order to curry favor with a church employee”.  Knowing that if Glennys dies first, an...

Red Flags in the Hospital Room: Why Waiting to Sign Your Will Is a Bad Idea By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi December 5, 2025 Lawyers, we are often the Grinch in a room.  Skeptical, a bit jaded because we’ve seen a lot.  Fisk Season Three, Episode 3 (I’m The Fisk) illustrates this trait, which I personally admit to having as well.  While we may be a killjoy, we are also sometimes correct.  And that benefits our clients.  In “I’m the Fisk” we see the return of the character Malcolm. The former restaurant employee at a neighboring business, he is now a client.  His father recently died, and shortly before his death, he re-did his will.  Malcolm shares this information with Helen, oblivious to the red-flags screaming at Helen.  Six months prior to his death he met and fell in love with his carer (caregiver here in the US) and re-did his will to cut out his only child, leaving his entire estate to his new found love. “Did they really? Gosh that’s good ti...