Estates clerks and lawyers “speak” their own language. We use acronyms or initialisms[1] such as CAET, EIR, RCP, ARI, AET, GRE, POA and COLA. We use abbreviations like Benys and T’ees, and we draw triangles. The idea for this blog was born when reflecting on having to interpret a lawyer’s…
Betty Laidlaw
Betty Laidlaw is a law clerk in the Trusts, Wills, Estates and Charities group at Fasken, with over 30 years experience. Betty has extensive experience assisting executors and trustees in managing complex, high-value estates and trusts. Betty specializes in the administration of estates and trusts and also focuses on estate accounting and estate litigation. Betty has received a Certificate in Estate and Trust Administration (CETA) from STEP Canada which denotes excellence in the industry. With this Certificate, Betty has received professional recognition as a specialist in estate and trust management. Betty is an affiliate member of STEP Canada and an associate member of the Institute of Law Clerks of Ontario. Email: blaidlaw@fasken.com.
Much has been written about the significant changes to the Ontario court probate forms and processes that came into effect on January 1, 2022, and more recently the July 1, 2022 amendments. But, is there anything new with passing of accounts? Surprisingly, there have been no changes to the court…
As a law clerk working in the area of estate administration, we often have to act as “detectives”. For example, we may have to conduct searches to determine whether or not the deceased had a Will. We may need to track down the beneficiaries named in the Will or piece…
It has been two months since the new process and forms for obtaining a Certificate of Appointment (probate grant) came into effect at the beginning of the year under Ontario Regulation 709/21. As my colleague, Sandra Arsenault, wrote in her blog “The new amendments, which come into effect as of…
Today’s blog will wrap up my series of blogs related to bringing an application to pass accounts (the “Passing Application”).[1] We will look at how an Executor/Trustee completes the Passing Application and obtains a judgment on passing of accounts. A Passing Application will either proceed without a court hearing, if…
Today’s blog will provide some points to consider when preparing or responding to a notice of objection to accounts (the “Notice of Objection”). This is a continuation of my series of blogs related to bringing an application to pass accounts (the “Passing Application”).[1] How Does a Beneficiary Object? If a…
Today’s blog is a continuation of my series[1] on bringing an application to pass accounts (the “Passing Application”).[2] After the hearing date is set with the court office and the notice of application issued, the next step is to serve the beneficiaries. The beneficiaries then have an opportunity to review…
In my blog Tips on Bringing a Passing of Accounts Application of March 5, 2021, I provided suggestions on preparing the accounts and drafting the court required documents when bringing an application to pass accounts (the “Passing Application”).[1] In today’s blog, I will share some tips on the next steps in…
In my first blog post (as a guest blogger), I wrote about what a law clerk is and what it is that we do. In today’s blog I will expand on a task that an estate law clerk is frequently involved in – a court passing of accounts – and…
In my blog Probate Points to Remember – A.K.A. Names and More – All About Estates of October 16, 2020, I shared from my list of “Probate Points to Remember”. I provided tips regarding how to name individuals, including the deceased, executors and beneficiaries, such as when using “also known…