Wills

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Making Effective Distributions of Estate Taxable Income Tax

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Dealing with the taxation of income earned by an estate can be complex. It has become even more complex since January 1, 2016.  It was on this date that all estates, other than those that qualify as a “graduated rate estate” (GRE), were no longer able to benefit from graduated rates of taxation on their taxable income.  Rather, to the extent an estate that is not a GRE earns and….

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Estate Planning, Tax Issues, Trusts, Wills

Estate Lawyers: Did our Invitation Get Lost in the Mail?!

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Today’s blog was written by Jenna Ward, Articling Student, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. When clients plan engagement parties, weddings, baby showers or divorce parties (yes, divorce parties are becoming increasingly common) they may not think to invite their estate lawyer. Understandable. However, the unfortunate result may be that such life events impact estate planning in an undesirable way or even revoke estate plans completely. We recently encountered such a situation….

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Estate Planning, Family Conflict, Wills

Is Probate Required To Appear Before Tribunals?

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Does an estate trustee have to apply for probate in order to represent the estate before an administrative tribunal? Two administrative tribunals – the Workplace Safety Insurance Appeal Tribunal and the Humans Rights Tribunal have taken different positions. An estate trustee does not always require probate (the formal term is a certificate of appointment of estate trustee with a will). There are many good reasons for an estate trustee to….

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Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Executors, Wills

Dementia does not Preclude Testamentary Capacity

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Unhappy beneficiaries often challenge the validity of a loved one’s will on the grounds that the testator lacked the capacity to execute a will. Applicants use evidence of the testator’s dementia or Alzheimer’s disease (and other mental disorders) to establish that the testator lacked capacity to execute a will. However, it is important to keep in mind that capacity is time specific. A diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, for….

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Capacity Law, Elder Law, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Power of Attorney, Powers Of Attorney and Guardianship Disputes, Succession Planning, Testamentary Capacity, Wills

Limited Retainers, Lawyer Liability and Limitation Periods

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The recent Court of Appeal (“ONCA”) decision of Meehan v. Good, 2017 ONCA 103 (“Meehan”), reminds lawyers that the duty of care owed to their clients is extensive, and may operate beyond a limited-scope retainer. In Meehan, the plaintiffs, Michael and Anne Meehan, brought a claim against their lawyer, John Cardill, who they initially retained to pursue an assessment of the accounts of their previous counsel. The Meehans sued Mr…..

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Dependant Support, Estate Administration, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Liability, Power of Attorney, Powers Of Attorney and Guardianship Disputes, Testamentary Capacity, Undue influence, Wills

Testamentary Letter of Wishes- Part 2

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In my last blog post of January 27, 2017, I discussed testamentary letters of wishes and some of the benefits and potential pitfalls of their use. For the purposes of the post, I limited the discussion to testamentary letters of wishes which are designed to convey a testator’s wishes and desires regarding the disposition of personal items after the testator’s death. This post continues the discussion. Another “pitfall” of letters….

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Estate Planning, Wills
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