Practice Management

Total 24 Posts

“Can you tell me a bit about your practice?”

This week, like many law firms in Toronto, Fasken participated in the annual 2L student recruitment process. I had the opportunity to meet many wonderful students, all with impressive backgrounds and bright futures ahead. I was asked by many of the students about my practice, and what I enjoyed most about estate planning. It was a great opportunity to reflect on what I love about my work. I thought I….

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Estate Planning, Practice Management, Succession Planning, Wills

Videos and Wills: Helpful or Harmful?

Pictured: A screen grab from the music video for “Only Acting” by Kero Kero Bonito. It’s one of my favourite songs. It’s not quite about video wills, but it does show off some of the challenges of recording oneself. What are Video Wills? Some practitioners have floated the idea of a “video will” as the next way in which technology will impact the world of trusts and estates. A “video….

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Capacity Law, Contested wills, Elder Law, Estate Planning, Family Conflict, Practice Management, Testamentary Capacity, Wills

Update to Virtual Verification of Client Identity Requirements

The ability to verify a client’s identity virtually which was introduced during the pandemic will continue, with some modifications. The updated by-law 7.1, which comes into effect in 2024, will allow a lawyer to verify a client’s identity virtually by using technology to confirm that the government-issued photo identification is valid and matches the client…..

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Practice Management, Retainer Agreement

Brampton’s Civil Court Procedure – An Update

The Superior Court of Justice issued a new Consolidated Civil Provincial Practice Direction for all civil proceedings effective as of June 15, 2023. In addition, the Brampton court office has adopted new procedures for civil matters designed to lead to a more effective use of court time and resources…..

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Courts, Estate Litigation, Practice Management

Tax planning in uncertain times

Tax planning can be very complicated with an Income Tax Act (“Act”) consisting of over 1.1 million words. This is a far cry from the original 4,000 words of the Act’s predecessor, Income War Tax Act[1], which was originally enacted as a temporary measure in 1917. The more than 3,000 pages contained in the Act is the legislation that governs our Canadian income tax system that is supplemented by precedent….

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Canada Revenue Agency, Estate Planning, Practice Management, Tax Issues

The Mysteries of Probate, Revealed

Of all the questions I am asked about the administration of estates, the ones that come up the most frequently are: “what is probate?”; “how do I know if I need probate?”; and “what’s involved in applying for probate?” Herein – the answers…..

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Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Planning, Executors, Practice Management, Probate Tax, Succession Planning
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