Why Get A Lawyer To Draft Your Will
November 21, 2024 By Mark Mikulasik November is Make-A -Will Month. This is a promotion by the Ontario Bar Association, yet this month, television seems to be swamped with commercials for an online will service. The one that talks about “the hassle and cost of a lawyer”. So why would you bother consulting a lawyer […]
Inadequate Provision For Dependents In Your Will
October 24, 2024 By Brian Babcock By its very name, a will is supposed to reflect the desires of the testator- the person whose will it is. This discretion to leave your assets to whoever you wish is not unlimited. In Ontario, two laws limit your ability to write the will you want. Under the […]
Who Gets The Dog Part 2
September 24, 2024 By Brian Babcock We posted an article recently highlighting the issue of the risk of battles over dog ownership, focused on the case of Carvalho v. Verma, a particularly hard-fought battle. How hard fought? The court has now considered the costs of this application. Noteworthy is the fact that the two sides […]
Interpreting Wills: The “Armchair” Approach
May 28, 2024 By Mark Mikulasik Have you ever wondered how a court interprets a will when people disagree about the meaning? THE CASES The principles are described in the Ontario Superior Court decision of Mohapel v. Young. The objective is that: When interpreting a will, the court’s task is to determine the testator’s actual […]
Trustee Compensation and Legal Fees
May 28, 2024 By Nick Melchiorre Trustees , including estate trustees, are entitled to compensation for their efforts. But how much? The lawyers for the trustees (or for the estate) are entitled to payment. But how much? What if the same person acts as trustee and lawyer? How are they compensated? The ultimate decision is […]
Who Gets The Dog?
May 23, 2024 By Brian Babcock Many of us love our pets. But in law, they are possessions like any other personal property. In the case of family breakdown, or the death of a partner or spouse, ownership was the determination of who gets the pet. THE ISSUE Sometimes ownership is not clear or was […]
Rectifying Wills
May 16, 2024 By Brian Babcock Your will is supposed to express what you want done with your property after you die. After all that is why it is called a “will”- because it expresses your will. THE ISSUE But what happens if the formal will for some reason does not accurately express your intentions? […]
Is That Will Valid?
May 9, 2024 By Brian Babcock In order to be valid, a will must be made while the person making it (the “testator”) has mental capacity to make a will. THE ISSUE A recent Ontario Court of Appeal decision nicely collects and summarizes examples of the indications that a court will look at in determining […]
High Conflict Estates Cost A Lot
April 9, 2024 By Jonathon Clark An estate trustee has a right to be indemnified for its proper costs and expenses. An estate trustee may be removed pending the passing of accounts, but they are entitled to have a holdback set aside to cover their costs of passing accounts. The passing of accounts is the […]
Gift or Trust?
April 4, 2024 By Brian Babcock We have written before about resulting trusts, and the case of Pecore v Pecore which says that when you give a gift to an adult child, the presumption in law is that you are transferring only the legal title and that you are still the beneficial owner. THE ISSUE […]