News Bill MacRae named Lexology Legal Influencer November 2, 2023 Wills & Estates
Our lawyers can help ensure that the assets you have carefully built are preserved, protected and passed on in the way you intend.
Planning wills and estates includes consideration of a wide range of personal, family and legal issues.
Our lawyers can help you set up wills, estates, trusts and other tools that help you preserve wealth and shift it to your beneficiaries in the way you want. At the same time, we’ll advise you of the laws and systems that could have an impact.
Your entire estate is carefully considered, including family businesses, large real estate holdings, income properties, trusts, charitable entities, pension funds and insurance strategies to provide a comprehensive view of all your options.
In addition to estate planning, our lawyers can assist you with preparing a Power of Attorney and a Representation Agreement – so that in the event of an unexpected change in your capacity or ability to deal with your financial and healthcare related matters, you have provided legal authority to those you trust to manage your affairs if you need their assistance.
Wills & Estates Services
Services
- Advising on and preparing wills and enduring power of attorney instruments
- Developing comprehensive strategies to minimize taxes and probate fees
- Inter-generational family wealth planning
- Assisting with estate freezes and the implementation of trusts
- Advising clients about marriage agreements as part of their estate planning
- Assisting clients in second-marriage situations to set up alter ego/joint partner trusts to deal with potential wills variation concerns
- Advising clients on the enhanced legal status of common-law partners, which can have an impact on family situations that were not previously affected
- Drafting representation agreements for highly acrimonious family situations
- Arranging transfer of assets through living or inter-vivos arrangements
- Ensuring that you or your family members have plans in place to deal with the possibility of a temporary or permanent incapacity
- Assisting individual executors and trust company professionals in all areas of estate administration
- Working with married, common-law and same-sex couples to determine legal rights and obligations relating to insurance and pension benefits
- Recording and storing all documents in a fireproof room where they will be kept safe
- Creating wealth planning solutions that incorporate clients' business interests
- Working closely with your other professional advisors, such as your accountant and financial advisor
We offer guidance in the following areas:
- Wills & Trusts
- Probate & Estate Administration
- Estate Planning & Wealth Preservation
- Estate Litigation
- Incapacity Planning including Enduring Powers of Attorney and Representation Agreements
Practice Group Members
William D. MacRae* Associate Counsel 
Lesley Russell Associate 
April Wilkinson Associate 
Typical Situations
A business owner wants to ensure that the wealth he has built is maximized when he leaves it to his heirs and that taxes and probate fees are minimized
A community leader decides to leave a significant amount of her estate to her favourite charity so she can leave a legacy that will benefit hundreds of people, and she wants to set up a trust to manage the funds
A parent is diagnosed with early-onset dementia. He and his children decide that a lasting power of attorney should help as his illness progresses
A couple who have built up their wealth together want to ensure that the wealth is protected and preserved for their children and the surviving spouse in case of the premature death of one of them
Need a Lawyer?
Get in touch with our wills & estates team.
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