Category Archives: Wills & Estates

Liberty is liberty, not equality or fairness or justice or human happiness or a quiet conscience Sir Isaiah Berlin 1958 The liberty to do what a person wishes with their property can come into conflict with the law and the … Continue reading →

Lets talk of graves, of worms, and epitaphs; Make dust our paper, and with rainy eyes Write sorrow on the bosom of the earth. Lets choose executors, and talk of wills: And yet not so, for what can we bequeath … Continue reading →

“I never think of the future, it comes soon enough” – Albert Einstein. While Einstein may not have thought about the future, you should. Since you can not avoid your future, you should be prepared for it. This is especially … Continue reading →

Advice to persons about to marry – Don’t  (from the magazine, Punch, 1845). Most persons born in the first half of the last century would have followed their contemporaries into a formalized marriage. This was so, in our culture, for … Continue reading →

Representation Agreements On February 28, 2000, B.C.’s laws dealing with mental infirmity in older people made a radical change in British Columbia. The Representation Agreement Act and several other new statutes were brought into effect. They have since been amended … Continue reading →

The executor (person appointed in the will to take care of the deceased person’s wishes as set out in the will) applies to the court for probate of the will. If a person dies without a will a beneficiary usually … Continue reading →

Since February 28, 2000, people in B.C. have been able to use either a power of attorney or a representation agreement to appoint someone to handle their financial affairs if they are incapacitated. The provisions in place to repeal the … Continue reading →

Married in haste, we may repent at leisure. William Congreve (ca. 1693) In our last article, we discussed changing legislation and interpretations by our courts that result in many persons assuming the responsibilities of spouses without marrying and without, in … Continue reading →

Marriage has many pains, but celibacy has no pleasures. Samuel Johnson (1759) The dramatic social and scientific revolutions of the last 50 years have changed the way we think about our personal relationships. Marriage, historically a once in a lifetime … Continue reading →