Around our firm, I am not only known as a clerk, but also as the resident baker. I spend a lot of my free time whipping up cookies, cakes, squares – you name it! In my years baking, I’ve noticed some fun parallels to being a law clerk. I thought I might showcase some important skills needed to excel as both a baker and a clerk.

When you are involved in a legal matter, it is natural to expect your legal bills to be relatively consistent from month to month. In reality, legal fees can vary depending on the work required at different stages of a matter. By understanding why your bill may be higher or lower in a particular month can help you plan ahead, manage your retainer, and help avoid unexpected financial surprises.

Preparing a will is one of the most important steps in estate planning, but what happens when the time comes to probate your will and no one can find the original? A family member may know that a will exists, but they are unable to locate it. There are also cases where the deceased may have mentioned that they prepared a new subsequent will, but no one can find it.

In my previous post, we discussed the option of garnishing a debtor’s bank account when they play hard to get. But what if garnishment isn’t enough? Initiating a land sale is another powerful enforcement remedy.

Undue influence is a legal principle that addresses circumstances where someone coerces another to make a decision, most often arising in estate litigation. A finding of undue influence allows the Court to invalidate transfers of property or the execution of Wills or powers of attorney, on the basis that they were not the product of the executor, transferor, or grantor’s free will.

Growing up, aside from the brief phase where I wanted to be a mechanic (let’s never talk about that), I always dreamed of working in the legal field.

Caring for an aging parent, grandparent, or sibling can be emotionally and financially exhausting. For many people, it means rearranging their lives: attending appointments, managing medications, coordinating care, giving up personal time, or even moving in to help.It is often difficult, deeply personal work, and unfortunately, frequently unpaid.

An Estate Trustee (also known as an Executor) named in a Will is someone that will be responsible for the administration of an estate from start to finish. Choosing the right estate trustee can make estate administration significantly smoother for your loved ones. Choosing the wrong estate trustee can be costly and can delay the estate administration. For this purpose, there are several factors to consider when deciding on who should be the estate trustee of your estate.

Working in Estates law, I have seen countless matters where a person has died without a Will (“intestate”), or their Will was written decades prior to their passing. As such, their Will (or lack thereof) does not accurately reflect their assets upon their death, nor their wishes for the management and distribution of their assets.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “a person with Alzheimer’s may become suspicious of those around them, even accusing others of theft, infidelity or other improper behaviour”. [1]  Yet, in power of attorney disputes, siblings are often unwilling to consider that the parent’s suspicions about their sibling might be unfounded.