All About Estates

Elaine Yu

Total 15 Posts Website
Elaine obtained her law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. Elaine articled with the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee and returned as counsel after she was called to the bar in June 2021. Elaine joined de VRIES LITIGATION LLP in June 2022. Elaine has represented clients in a wide range of proceedings including dependant’s relief claims, guardianship applications, trust claims, and other estates and trust issues. Elaine is a member of the Association des jurists d’expression française de l’Ontario and is fluent in French. More of Elaine's blogs can be found at https://devrieslitigation.com/author/eyu/

Some Good News

With all going on in the world right now, I figure we could all used some good news. Last week, CBC News published an article about Gerald and Coby Goguen, a couple from New Brunswick, who were able to pass away hand in hand earlier this year. Married for 41…

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A long, long time ago…

Some stuff happened, and now people are fighting about what exactly happened. To find out what happened, evidence is needed. In estate litigation, there are special principles and rules of evidence along with the usual ones to be considered. The recent case of Koutsovasilis v. Carreira, provides a useful summary…

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Recent Cases Applying Section 21.1 of the SLRA

Having come into force on January 1, 2022, Section 21.1 is a relatively recent addition to the Succession Law Reform Act (“SLRA”). Section 21.1 is a validating provision, which allows the courts discretion to declare a will valid even if it does not meet the formalities of execution set out…

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Chat, j’ai pété (and left a stink)

Since the widespread launch of cheap, accessible, generative AI platforms like Open AI’s ChatGPT, Bing Chat, Google Bard, Cohere Coral, etc. we’ve all read the news articles and blog posts written using AI to show off the possibilities these new tools present. In the legal industry, there’s buzz around the…

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Factors to Consider when Rebutting the Presumption that a Lost Will was Destroyed by the Testator

Today’s blog was written by Jonathon Vander Zee, student-at-law at de VRIES LITIGATION LLP The original copy of a last will and testament is lost and cannot be found… now what? Losing an original copy of a will does not necessarily mean that it is no longer legally binding or…

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You’ve been served!

The Originating Process One of the first steps taken in any court procedure is service of the originating process. Whether the procedure is by action or application, service of the originating process puts parties and others who may be affected by the outcome on notice that a legal proceeding has…

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