Losing a loved one is hard enough. Finding out there's no will makes it harder. As a lawyer practising in British Columbia, I see how quickly the questions pile up: who has the authority to deal with the estate, who actually inherits, and what happens when there's a spouse, a common-law partner, a minor child, [...]
Joint tenancy is often presented as an elegant solution: add someone to the title, avoid probate, and spare your family a lengthy estate administration. In practice, however, the strategy rarely delivers on that promise without careful legal planning. Joint tenancy does have a legitimate role in estate planning when properly structured. The difficulty is that [...]
How End-of-Life Wishes Are Handled and Who Has the Final Say As a lawyer practising in British Columbia, I often speak with individuals who are planning their estates and want to ensure their funeral and burial wishes are respected. A common question I hear is: “If I put my funeral instructions or burial preferences in [...]
One of the first questions people often ask after a loved one passes away is: “Does the will have to go through probate?” It’s a fair question — especially when you're trying to settle an estate during a difficult time. In British Columbia, not all wills need to be probated, but many do. Whether or [...]
