People involved in small-scale estate litigation cases often question if they can represent themselves to save on legal costs. In short, yes, the law in BC allows people to self-represent. However, those who choose to do so may find themselves…
In BC, courts can rule a will unfair and have it revised - or varied - if it doesn't make ‘adequate provision for the proper maintenance and support’ of the will-maker’s spouse or children. This ensures that spouses and children…
Inheritance scams commonly involve an individual claiming to be the executor for the estate of a 'long lost relative' who the victim hasn't met. They tell the victim that they are entitled to a large inheritance from the estate. However,…
As part of proactive estate planning, it is often a good idea to appoint a power of attorney (POA). A POA is authorized to make financial and legal decisions on your behalf. The primary purpose is to have someone ready…
In the estate planning process, people commonly use trust accounts to give gifts. They can also create purpose trust accounts, which designate funds for a specific purpose. Some common trust accounts that are made in wills include: Trust accounts made…
Executors and beneficiaries are often aware of the executor’s year – a common law principle stating that an executor has a year from the testator’s death to finish administering the estate and distribute its assets. During the executor’s year, beneficiaries…
Trust accounts are a common and useful estate planning tool. Trusts are accounts where a third party holds an asset for the specific use of a beneficiary. Typically, the beneficiary is only able to withdraw funds (or other property) from…
As a beneficiary of a will, it can be frustrating to sit helplessly waiting while the will’s executor fails to administer the estate as expected. Unfortunately, executors sometimes cause intentional delays, are incompetent in their administration, or even abuse their…
The executor of a will has a handful of responsibilities when administering an estate – including accounting for all estate assets, debts, and money exchanges coming into and out of the estate. Once the executor finishes the administration process and…
In British Columbia, settled law entitles estate executors to remuneration for their work in administering an estate. In fact, this was restated by the Supreme Court of Canada in Cowper-Smith v Morgan, a case argued and won by League and…
