This post was written by Diana Leopardi Consider this question: would you carry an umbrella on a sunny day? A Mandate in the event of incapacity is like carrying an umbrella on a sunny day, with no intention of using it but grateful to have the umbrella in the event it starts to rain. Think of your umbrella as your Mandate in the event of incapacity; you will be sheltered….
Autonomy, Choice and Control Continue Reading »
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Capacity is a key component of estate litigation, especially in guardianship and attorneyship disputes. Questions of when someone has begun acting as an attorney for property and whether a person had the requisite capacity to designate a party as their attorney are some of the ways this issue plays out. Once these questions are raised, the arena in which these disputes are heard, for the most part, is the Superior….
What is the Consent and Capacity Board? Continue Reading »
Capacity Law, Elder Care, Elder Management, Healthcare, Power of Attorney, Powers Of Attorney and Guardianship DisputesAs we reach the end of this blog series about ChatGPT, I’m reminded of Jeopardy! legend and now co-host Ken Jennings. In the finale of a three-day tournament pitting him against the IBM supercomputer Watson, Ken wrote, as part of his final answer “I, for one, welcome our new computer overlords.” That’s how I’m starting to feel…… In last week’s blog, ChatGPT wrote a will. But that’s relatively straightforward, right?….
ChatGPT, make me a trust Continue Reading »
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A testator must have knowledge and approved of the contents of her will. This is one of the requisite elements for proving a will in a solemn form. Knowledge and approval, and its closely related cousin of due execution, is generally viewed as an easier test to meet compared with testamentary capacity. But knowledge and approval may be difficult to establish where suspicious circumstances exists. Ordinarily if certain conditions are….
The Elder Care Planning Framework In March 2023, I was a panellist at the Ontario Bar Association’s Elder Law Day, where Dr. Richard Shulman and I spoke about decision-making capacity. In preparing our presentation, we developed this tool to aid in planning decision-making for elder care management and related financial, legal, and clinical affairs. The management of elder care is complex and multifaceted. There are numerous intersections where care needs….
Proposing an Elder Care Planning Framework for Decision Making Continue Reading »
Capacity Law, Elder Care, Elder Management, Geriatric Care Management, Power of AttorneyAs we turn the corner from winter to spring, we also enter into another important time of year: wedding season. With the start of this season, estate planners should remind themselves, and their clients, of a few of the critical intersections between family law and estate law that specifically impact married (as opposed to cohabiting) couples: As of January 2022, following the passage of the Accelerating Access to Justice Act,….
Wedding Season is Here: The Impact of Marriage on Estate Planning Continue Reading »
Estate Planning, Property, Spouse, Wills