Practice Groups > Estates

Estates

The work of the Ross & McBride Estate and Trust Practice Group encompasses all aspects of Estate Planning, Estate Administration and Estate Litigation including:

Estate Planning

  • complete estate plans, including wills of various degrees of complexity
  • business succession planning, including corporate reorganizations, estate freezes, asset and share sales and shareholder agreements
  • probate tax avoidance strategies such as multiple wills and alter-ego and joint partner trusts
  • wealth preservation techniques such as family trusts, gifting programs, estate freezes and insurance trusts
  • charitable trusts and foundations
  • special needs trusts designed to protect the elderly and the disabled
  • special purpose trusts, such as spousal trusts and cottage trusts
  • powers of attorney for personal care and advance health care directives
  • powers of attorney for property
  • international estate planning

Estate Administration

  • assistance to estate trustees in all aspects of estate administration including probate proceedings, estate accounting, distribution and wind-up
  • legal advice to estate trustees

Estate Litigation

  • representation of executors and beneficiaries in disputed estate matters
  • representation of trustees and attorneys under power of attorneys in disputes
  • mediation of estate disputes
  • conduct of guardianship of person and property proceedings
  • will challenges and will interpretation litigation
  • claims against estates by spouses and dependants
  • removal or replacement of trustee proceedings
  • court passings of accounts in estates, trusts and guardianship matters