Drafting essential documents that clearly set out your wishes and designate trusted decision-makers for health and financial matters.

• Drafting simple and complex wills

• Creating dual or mirror wills for spouses

• Advising on guardianship appointments for minor children

• Establishing testamentary and inter vivos trusts

• Preparing enduring powers of attorney for financial decision-making

• Preparing representation agreements for health and personal care

• Updating or amending existing wills and powers of attorney

• Advising on legal capacity and undue influence concerns

• Coordinating estate plans with business or asset structures

• Safe storage and registration of estate planning documents

Ensuring your healthcare preferences are respected when you’re unable to communicate your decisions.

• Preparing representation agreements for health care and personal decision-making

• Advising on the scope of authority granted to a representative

• Drafting advance directives (living wills) to outline medical care preferences

• Coordinating health care directives with powers of attorney and wills

• Ensuring documents comply with BC’s legal requirements

• Addressing capacity concerns and ensuring informed decision-making

• Updating or revoking existing representation agreements and directives

• Guiding clients through decisions involving end-of-life care and treatment refusal

• Advising family members or appointed representatives on their legal responsibilities

Assisting with trusts, blended family arrangements, business ownership, multijurisdictional assets, and charitable giving strategies to meet unique and evolving needs.

• Property/Land Transfers

• Drafting of Trust documents and Settling Trusts

• Capacity Challenges

• Wills for Business Owners

• Court appointment of a legal representative for minor or incapable adult

We support executors and estate trustees through every stage of estate administration—locating and valuing assets, obtaining probate or letters of administration, resolving claims, distributing property, and ensuring compliance with fiduciary duties under the law. Our legal guidance helps reduce personal liability and ensures the estate is settled efficiently and lawfully.Identifying and accessing the assets of the deceased

• Preparing and filing applications for grants of probate

• Settling debts and liabilities of the estate

• Mediating disputes with beneficiaries or creditors

• Navigating legal procedures to transmit assets

• Assisting executors with mandatory accounting to beneficiaries

• Managing the final distribution of the estate

• Advising executors to ensure the estate is properly administered and to reduce personal risk or liability

• Assisting with Public Guardian and Trustee (PGT) involvement in estates involving minor children or vulnerable adults

Offering firm and compassionate representation in matters such as:

• Claims by children or spouses who have been left out of Wills or inadequately provided for

• Challenges to wills and trusts, beneficiary designations, gifts and other transfers based on questions of validity, undue influence, coercion or lack of capacity

• Validity, use or misuse of a power of attorney

• Claims against attorneys, executors, administrators or trustees for fraud, theft, misuse of funds, conflict of interest, breach of trust or breach of fiduciary duty

• Validity of trust planning, validity of joint tenancy and co-tenancy transfers

• Bringing assets back into the estate for division among heirs or beneficiaries

• Actions to compel executors to properly carry out their duties or account to the beneficiaries for their dealings with the estate property

• Formal passing of simple or contested executor/trustee accounts by the Court

• Removal of executors

• Will interpretation or construction

• Lost or missing Wills

• Contested Committeeship applications

• Allegations of incapacity or undue influence

• Private Trustee applications, to appoint a Trustee to manage funds for a minor or incapable adult

• Court applications to interpret legal documents, including a will or a trust

Advising those responsible for managing estates or trusts to ensure compliance, proper administration, and protection of all parties’ interests.

• Advising executors and trustees on their legal duties and responsibilities

• Assisting with the administration of estates and trusts from start to finish

• Preparing and filing applications for probate or letters of administration

• Identifying, securing, and valuing estate or trust assets

• Settling debts and managing liabilities

• Preparing interim and final accounting for beneficiaries

• Coordinating with financial institutions, insurers, and government agencies

• Managing distributions in accordance with the will or trust

• Advising on issues of executor or trustee liability

• Guiding executors through disputes, beneficiary claims, or Public Guardian and Trustee involvement

We also provide advice to the attorney, executor, administrator, trustee who is responsible for another’s assets and monies to ensure to provide them with guidance and protection in their management of an incapable person’s assets or in the administration of an estate or a trust. Issues can arise where we can:

• Obtain court interpretation and determine validity of legal documents

• Seek advice and direction of the court

• Determine rightful heirs to an estate

• Determine the proper assets of an estate, including suing to recover assets or debts

• Prepare accounting and have the beneficiaries or the court to approve the administration and to obtain an award for fee/compensation and discharge

• Deal with Canada Revenue Agency on any tax matters