Solicitor-client privilege is a fundamental legal principle that protects communications between lawyers and their clients. This principle allows clients to speak freely in front of their lawyers without fear of their conversations being disclosed to anyone else. In the estates world, the question can sometimes become, what happens to solicitor-client…

Section 35 of the Evidence Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.23 (“EA”) is often referred to as the “business records” exception to the rule against hearsay. That is because, under certain circumstances, section 35 of the EA allows business records (which are defined in section 35(1)) to be filed and admissible…

Two weeks ago, I posted Part I of this series. This blog is the second edition, as promised, and will detail 3 more recently released decisions that have had a lasting impact in the estate litigation and planning worlds. Salmon v. Rombough, 2024 ONSC 1186 This decisions applies the (fairly)…

Throughout 2024 and into early 2025, the Courts released many riveting and groundbreaking decisions that have had an echoing effect throughout the estate litigation world. This blog will detail 5 of those decisions and cover a variety of topics and issues relevant to estate litigation and planning. A second blog…

It is not uncommon that a person will add someone else, often times a family member, to their bank accounts as a joint owner or create a new bank account with that person as a joint owner in order to avoid probate fees. This may also be done with other…

Just over one year ago, I blogged about Jackson v. Rosenberg, 2023 ONSC 4403, a case that shed light on the relationship between severance of a joint tenancy and the subsequent effect on a gifted right of survivorship. As it turns out, the application judge’s decision was appealed, with the…

Today’s post was written by guest blogger, Melissa Miller, Partner at Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP. Ask anyone whether admission to a nursing home is part of their retirement plan and they will likely say, “I’ll never go to one of those places”, or something worse. As we all know,…

In estate litigation, especially in cases where the litigation has been prolonged for an extended period of time and the file has accumulated hours upon hours of manpower, costs can be (and often are) a contentious issue between the parties. There are a few different ways in which costs may…

*This blog post was written by Ruth Paul, articling student at de VRIES LITIGATION LLP* With over 80% of Canadian households subscribing to at least one streaming service, internet-based streaming platforms are becoming the preferred way to consume video media. The variety of content and the on-demand nature of streaming…

When an Order is granted on consent in a proceeding, it is inherent that all of the parties have agreed to the Order, hence the obvious use of the word “consent”. Nevertheless, and however improbable it may seem, it is possible to appeal a Consent Order. The applicant in Behrisch…