When Does a Class of Beneficiaries Close?

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“To my grandchildren…” Sometimes, a testator will leave testamentary gifts to an undefined class of people, rather than to beneficiaries by name. Gifts might be left to “my children” or “my grandchildren” or even “the children of my niece” without any further specifications in the will[1]. This practice raises a question. Who are the precise members of this type of undefined class? Is the testator referring to people who fit….

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Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning

Are Domestic Contracts Becoming More Popular?

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When I explain to people whom I’m meeting for the first time that I’m a lawyer and that among my areas of practice I draft domestic contracts, I’m often met with a response to the effect of “You mean, like, a pre-nup?” I can confirm that a “pre-nup” is, in fact, what I mean. In Ontario, they’re called domestic contracts, and they can take one of two forms: marriage contracts,….

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Contracts, Dependant Support, Estate Planning, Family Conflict, Separation, Spouse

Inbox (1): My Last Will and Testament

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This blog was written by Adam Settecase We are living in the hyper-digital age. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the formalities for executing wills have been modified in many jurisdictions to allow for virtual witnessing via videoconference. An attestation by a witness who is not even remotely in the same location as the testator would have been unthinkable as recently as two years ago. The Barreau du Québec….

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In the News

How A Rumoured Las Vegas Wedding To A Russian Child Star Shook Up An Intestacy

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The background to the unopposed motion was lurid: a prominent lawyer cut down before her time and a last-minute Las Vegas marriage to a former Russian child star. In Estate of Tanya Claudia Davies, 2022 ONSC 2009, the court stayed an application for a certificate of appointment of estate trustee due to the court’s general supervisory role over officers of the court and internet rumours. Tanya Davies was a prominent….

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Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Litigation, In the News

Crypto assets – Canadian or foreign – it matters!

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Crypto assets are intangible digital assets that exist on a decentralized network through distributed ledger technology (DLT) – such as blockchain. A distributed ledger is a type of database that stores electronic records shared and replicated across many locations in numerous countries and maintained by a peer-to-peer world-wide decentralized network. Therefore, the crypto asset is not exclusively situated in any particular country making it difficult for the taxpayer and professionals….

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Estate Administration, Tax Issues

April 5th is National Caregiver Day

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Happy Monday. Last week’s blog stressed the importance of recognizing the gift and sacrifice that Canadians caregivers provide to their family and friends on a daily basis. April 5th is National Caregiver Day when we recognize the nearly 8 million Canadians who care for family and friends who have chronic health conditions, disabilities or functional limitations. Look around, 1 in 4 Canadians provide unpaid care to a family member or….

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Caregiving
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