Many people experience difficulties when deal with estate law. Our own mortality and the passing of a loved one, is often both uncomfortable and challenging. The estate lawyers at Kahane Law Office help client deal with all estate related matters. We understand both the legal aspects as well as the emotional ones. With both Calgary and Edmonton law offices, we help people across the province with all their estate needs.
How Estate Lawyers Help In Alberta
Our Alberta estate lawyers help clients in many ways. (An attorney is another word for lawyer.) No mater your situation, we help evaluate the steps needed to move forward and the best course to get you there. By sending us a quick email, we direct you in the right direction. Wills and estates law is a area of law with a wide variation of legal scenarios. For example, our estate attorneys assist clients with the following situations:
Wills Drafting
While many people avoid completing a valid will, they remain an important document for most people. Our wills lawyers, in both Calgary and Edmonton, help take the stress out of drafting and signing your will. These documents protect your final wishes, your children and loved ones as well as help protect against financial loss due to disputes and taxes. Our estate lawyers help you with navigating the options and legalities in drafting a will right for you. Email one of our estates attorney today to learn more.
Personal Directives / Living Wills
A personal directive, also known as a living will is a document set up to allow someone to make medical and personal decisions for you in the event that you lose the ability to do so on your own. They deal with deciding on medical procedures, medications, where you live, socialization, etc. They do not help to deal with finances or assets. In the event that a person loses capacity without one, then some needs to apply to the courts for a guardianship order.
Enduring Power of Attorneys
An enduring power of attorney or EPA appoints an individual to take care of a persons assets and finances in the event that they lose capacity to do so themselves. These low cost but important documents help protect people, their assets and their loved ones. Learn more about enduring power of attorneys as well as the requirement of a trusteeship order in the event that a person fails to draft one.
Trusts
Various types of trusts exist in Alberta. Our estate lawyers help you determine which is right for you. Some trusts exist as a part of your will. For example, a minor beneficiary trust is a frequent component of an estate plan. Some trust function to protect assets during a persons life. We help you understand which is right for you.
Probate
After someone passes away, someone takes control of their estate in order to finalize things and distribute their assets in accordance with their will. In order to avoid personal liability, the administration process is key and important to be followed. Learn more about the probate process here as well as the roll and responsibilities of the personal representative / Executor.
Letters Of Administration
In situations where a person passes away without a will, the estate often requires a letter of administration. Similar to probate, this is a court order identifying the individual tasked with administering the estate. This link provides much more detail about the process and who benefits from an estate when no will exists (or some or all of the will lacks legal validity) at the time of death.
Estate Administration
As a part of the estate administration, our estate lawyers work with the personal representative / executor(tix) to finalize the estate. Depending on the step in the process, the executor completes some of the steps, the estate lawyer completes other parts and other professionals, such as accounts, compete other parts of the process. For example, this includes steps such as distributing estate assets, final accounting , the sale of real estate, the sale or management of a business, etc. Learn more about estate administration here.
Estate Litigation
As with many things in life, sometimes people disagree with one another. With estates, the emotional aspect of losing a loved one, combined with finances often lead to such disputes. Our estate lawyers act in a number of way when such estate litigation disputes arise. For example, our team acts in situations of:
- Defending an estate on behalf of the estate;
- Challenging an estate on behalf of a beneficiary;
- Dependents or other individuals cut out of a will;
- Civil litigation with an estate named as defendant; and lastly
- Competing interests of individuals wishing to act as personal representative.
Our Estate Lawyers
Our team includes a variety of estate lawyers who approach both the administrative part of estates as well as the litigation or disputed parts of estates. The following people make up our team:
Chadwick Newcombe: Estate litigation lawyer – Calgary
Chadwick is an senior litigation lawyers who acts for people in a broad manner of disputes including complete estate litigation issues. His courtroom and professional experience help to represent his clients in an effective and, when needed, aggressive way. Learn more about Chadwick and his practice here.
Jacob (Jake) Plotsky: Estate lawyer – Calgary
Jake’s calm and patient personality really shines when it comes to guiding his clients thought estate mattes. Wills, EPAs, Personal directives, probate and more, Jake helps his clients understand their options as well as how to best draft documents reflecting their wishes. Learn more about Jake and his estate attorney practice here.
Evan Clarke: Estate lawyer – Edmonton
Evan brings a unique blend of financial planning, entrepreneurial expertise, and extensive legal experience to his practice in wills and estates. His background, combined with his commitment to supporting others, makes him a well-rounded and empathetic attorney dedicated to providing exceptional legal counsel. Learn more about Evan and his practice here.
Hiring Estate Lawyers In Alberta
Picking the best estates lawyer for themselves often poses a challenge for people. Skill set, communication style and personality preferences all play into making that decision. Our estate attorneys make the legal requirements in any of their estate needs easier for their clients. They often even make house calls to help facilitate matters for people how lack the ability to get to our offices. Send us an email today for the fastest way to get more information. For help in Calgary and surrounding area call 403-225-8810, or email us here. For help in Edmonton or surrounding area, call 780-571-8463 or email us here. We look forward to helping.