just a legal matter.
We provide professional legal services in these areas
If you don’t see what you need here, reach out to set up a complimentary 15-minute telephone consult with us. If we don’t do that work ourselves, we may be able to refer you to someone who does.
It’s never just about your legal matter
We’ve learned a few things from providing legal services over the decades. Legal matters aren’t just business. And so often, they’re not just about one thing.
Look deeper into a matter, and there’s always more than meets the eye. Sometimes it involves family. Sometimes, an esteemed business. Sometimes – both. Sometimes, a matter relates to an exciting or even difficult milestone in life. You may be feeling enthusiasm, trepidation, sadness or joy.
When providing legal services to you, we share these life moments with you.
Taking the time to understand what you want to achieve sharpens our focus on your big picture. We’re able to connect the invisible dots, and provide the services that will support your immediate and longer-term goals.
We respect that your information is private and personal. As a client of ours, you can be sure that we treat the information you share with us with the utmost confidentiality.
We hear your words and what's behind them, too.
Our practice areas
We make it our business to stay current.
Our areas of the law are constantly in flux. We don’t rest on our laurels. Everyone at the firm keeps up with professional development. It’s a firm-wide commitment.
Our practice areas include Real Estate Law, Business and Corporate Law, Wills and Estates Law. If a matter we’re working on for you extends to different areas of law, we’ll be sure the appropriate people are involved.
Real Estate Law
Our role is to help your real estate transactions go smoothly. We address any unexpected issues that come up. We use technology where it makes sense. But we’re also available to go over and sign your documents in person. Then we’ll celebrate with you when it’s done!
We work with individuals, families, estates, businesses, investors, financial institutions, planners, realtors, builders and developers on residential and commercial real estate matters.
We can help you with:
- Purchase or sale of a home
- Purchase or sale of a family cottage or recreational property
- Purchase or sale of a condominium property
- Purchase or sale of vacant land
- Purchase or sale of single-family or multi-family investment property
- Purchase or sale of commercial property
- Title transfers
- Survivorship applications
- Private sales or purchases
- Drafting or reviewing Agreements of Purchase and Sale
- Mortgaging or refinancing
- Reviewing status certificates
- Severances and land use matters
Wills and Estates Law
Estate Planning
A clear, well-thought-out estate plan can be a gift of love to those you leave behind. We understand that not every family situation is simple. Death is a very sensitive topic and careful planning is essential.
We know from experience that if wills and estate issues are not discussed directly and with foresight, challenges can arise. Avoiding these difficult issues can turn into conflict later – and even painfully end up in court.
It’s comforting to know your intentions will be understood after you’re gone.
When you meet with us to create an estate plan, we’ll ask you many questions to understand your situation. Then we’ll provide you with options to help achieve your wishes. We can help you with:
- Will drafting and will amendments
- Power of Attorney for Property
- Power of Attorney for Personal Care
- Multiple will planning
- Estate strategies for loved ones with special needs
- Testamentary trusts including spousal trusts, trusts for minor beneficiaries and discretionary trusts such as Henson Trusts for individuals with special needs
- Business succession planning
- Farm family succession planning
Estate Administration
Being an executor is a challenging task at the best of times. We take some of the load off executors by providing the following compassionate and professional support, helping them:
- Understand their authority and complete their duties and responsibilities
- Offer support to trustees, accountants and financial planners
- Prepare Applications for Certificate of Appointment (Probate or Administration)
- Administer the estate according to the terms of the will
- Advertise for creditors
- Assist with the transfer of estate assets
- Prepare estate accounts
- Prepare receipts and releases for the beneficiaries before the estate is distributed
- Finalize the distribution of estate assets
Business and Corporate Law
We can help you choose the appropriate business structure when you’re just getting started and as your business grows. We can help with your:
- Sole proprietorship
- Provincial corporation
- Federal corporation
- Partnership
- Charity or not-for-profit corporation
- Professional corporation (for professionals such as engineers, medical doctors, health care professionals, chartered professional accountants, lawyers and realtors)
Other Business and Corporate Law services
We can also help you with numerous other matters including the following:
- Maintaining corporate records
- Reflecting corporate changes
- Reorganization and restructuring
- Partnership and shareholder agreements
- Drafting non-disclosure and other business agreements
- Acquiring or selling a business
- Business succession planning
- Commercial financing
Getting started
We’re happy to offer a 15-minute complimentary telephone consultation. This initial call isn’t legal advice, it’s to see if we can help. If we can, we’ll clearly explain how we work and charge for our services. If we can’t help, we may be able to refer you to someone who can.