Beware of the Font Fraudster! He/she is lurking around every corner, or, more fittingly, around ever matter. In McGoey (RE), a commercial litigation matter, a bankrupt telecom executive attempted to shield two properties from creditors by asserting that they were held in trust for his children. There were even trust documents purporting same! The documents … Continued
Read MoreOur managing partner, Shael Eisen, spoke last Friday at the Northwind Professional Institute’s High Net Worth Forum held at Cambridge’s beautiful Langdon Hall. Participating as part of a panel of expert estate litigators, Shael shared some of his wisdom about issues facing lawyers and their clients in the field and entertained the crowd with some … Continued
Read MoreHolly LeValliant spoke at Osgoode Hall’s Powers of Attorney and Guardianship Program last week, an seminar in which estate law experts gave presentations as a continuing education opportunity for lawyers working in the field. Holly’s presentation focused on uncontested guardianships. In lay terms, this refers to the process by which an individual may apply to … Continued
Read MoreOur partner Holly LeValliant was featured as a speaker at the Ontario Bar Association’s Essential Evidence for Litigators event on April 5. The event was an opportunity for lawyers working in estate law to hear experts in the field speak about a variety of different issues. Holly’s presentation related to the admissibility of business records … Continued
Read MoreOur partner Holly LeValliant was interviewed in a recent issue of Law Times about a new court decision regarding the division of pre-retirement death benefits in Ontario. In its decision, the court ruled in favour of a disabled daughter receiving a split of her deceased father’s pre-retirement death benefit (which would have otherwise been payable … Continued
Read MoreIt is no surprise that a large proportion of the estate litigation files that we see result from someone who is now incapable or deceased and who waited too long to plan his or her estate, leaving their relatives to deal with the aftermath. What may be less obvious, however, is that a lot of … Continued
Read MoreHow do the Courts handle drafting errors in wills? While the general rules is that an individual’s last will and testament may not be overwritten or altered so as to distribute their estate in any manner other than as the testator described in their will, the equitable power of rectification may be employed by a … Continued
Read MoreEffective September 1, 2017, Ontario has relaxed some of the asset limits and other rules required for individuals to be eligible for benefits under the Ontario Disability Support Program (“ODSP”). The changes are generally seen as long overdue, given the ever-rising cost of living and difficult in finding affordable housing (in the GTA especially). The … Continued
Read MoreIn a recent decision, the Honourable Justice Myers held that the typical Orders Giving Directions that estate litigation lawyers seek to allow the parties to produce documents are ”lengthy, intrusive, expensive documentary collection and investigation proceedings that can last for the better part of a year or more.” What Happened? The background facts in the … Continued
Read MoreIn May of this year, several members of our firm had the pleasure of attending the Ontario Bar Association Trusts and Estates Law Section’s year-end dinner, at which the Award of Excellence in Trusts and Estates Law was presented to the Honourable Maurice Cullity, Q.C. I can think of no more worthy candidate for the … Continued
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