Wills and Estates
Harper Grey works with a broad range of clients to attain their goals in wealth preservation. Our clients include both high net worth individuals as well as those of average financial circumstances who share the same objectives; to ensure that their wishes are followed while keeping taxes and probate fees paid to the government to a minimum, and to avoid any delays.
We thoroughly analyze each client's family and financial situation, including factors which may constrain their ability to do what they want with their estate.
Areas of Focus
Our experience in estate planning can help you deal with a myriad of issues which impact on your ability to pass the assets which you have built up during your lifetime on to your heirs, in the way you want. We help clients by:
- assisting clients to structure their estate plan to reduce probate taxes
- advising clients who are getting married regarding marriage contracts as part of their estate planning
- litigating estate disputes
- creating wills and other estate planning tools
Representative Experience
- As claims under the Wills Variation Act are especially of concern in a second marriage situation, we have assisted some of our clients in setting up alter ego/joint partner trusts to deal with such Wills Variation Act issues
- The enhanced legal status of common law partners in the estate law area has meant that we now advise our clients to take into account family situations which were not of concern previously in doing their estate planning
- We have assisted our clients to minimize the probate fees payable to the government in light of the substantial increase in estate values due to housing price increases
- We ensure that our clients have plans in place to deal with the possibility of a temporary or permanent incapacity
- Assisting individual clients with estate administration matters where the individual has no previous experience as executor
Contact Person
The Chair of the Wills and Estates group is William MacRae. Please contact him at 604 895 2858 or wmacrae@harpergrey.com.
The Chair of the Estate Litigation group is Richard Attisha. Please contact him at 604 895 2811 or rattisha@harpergrey.com.
