This blog has been written by Rahul Sharma, Partner, at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Toronto Last week, I had the pleasure and privilege of being a panelist at the American Bar Association’s International Law Section conference in London, UK. The focus of our discussion was millionaire migration. Together with my…
Category: Wills
This week, like many law firms in Toronto, Fasken participated in the annual 2L student recruitment process. I had the opportunity to meet many wonderful students, all with impressive backgrounds and bright futures ahead. I was asked by many of the students about my practice, and what I enjoyed most…
Exculpatory clauses or indemnity clauses in wills and trusts are common forms of protection provided to the trustees by testators and settlors. When a trustee is appointed under a testamentary or inter vivos trust document to administer and manage an estate or a trust, some consider it to be an…
Today’s blog was written by Jessica Butler, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP. This past Tuesday, October 15th, marked a significant milestone for me an my husband – one whole year of marital bliss! With the traditional first-anniversary gift being paper, I found myself thinking about a particularly profound paper: a…
Today’s blog was written by Courtney Lanthier, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP. With the colder months approaching, it’s the time of year when people start considering (or re-considering) their estate plan. But when it comes time to sit down and make a Will, people can often become overwhelmed by the…
This blog has been written by Sandra Arsenault, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP. A Season of Beginnings, Endings, and Books As the leaves change and the weather cools, I imagine curling up in a cozy spot with a hot beverage and a new book. Autumn is when we salute the…
Using “dual wills” as part of an estate plan is a well-established and frequently used strategy in Ontario and across Canada. This involves the execution of two wills. A Primary Will that deals with estate assets which cannot be distributed to a testator’s beneficiaries without a Certificate of Appointment of…
Today’s blog post was written by Latoya Brown, an Associate at Fasken LLP. The discussion of discriminatory wills continues with a new case out of the British Columbia Supreme Court. In Lam v Law Estate, 2024 BCSC 156, the court varied a testatrix’s will on the reasoning that the testatrix’s…
This is Part III of a three-part blog series. Parts I & II can be found at the following respective links: https://www.allaboutestates.ca/equalizing-an-estate-where-one-of-more-children-are-u-s-persons-and-planning-strategies-where-there-are-u-s-beneficiaries-part-i/ and https://www.allaboutestates.ca/equalizing-an-estate-where-one-of-more-children-are-u-s-persons-and-planning-strategies-where-there-are-u-s-beneficiaries-part-ii/. Parts I & II discussed a few issues to consider if a client’s intention is to equalize their estate amongst their children where one or more…
One of the main duties of an executor is to distribute the assets of an estate according to the terms of the Will. Typically, it is easy to pay a cash legacy to a beneficiary or to deliver a specific bequest if the beneficiary lives nearby. But what happens if…

