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Celebrating

our 10th year
blog anniversary

Author: Margaret O'Sullivan

Using Letters of Wishes to Guide your Guardians

In Ontario, a standard guardianship clause in a will where there are minor children typically appoints one or more guardians, may include alternate ones, and will usually refer to the need to obtain a permanent appointment by the court pursuant to the Children’s Law Reform Act[1] (please refer to my

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At Which Age Should Children Inherit?

Life spans are increasing. Consider that in Canada over the last decade alone, life expectancy for those who reach 65 has climbed by two years, and men on average who are 65 today can expect to live to 84 and women to 87, while half of Canadians age 20 today

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Posthumous Use of Reproductive Tissue: Who Decides?

The law concerning assisted reproductive technology (“ART”) occupies a unique space where the autonomy of the human body intersects with property rights, which historically at common law did not extend to the human body or body parts. The world’s first in-vitro baby was born in 1978, but it was only

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Never Too Young To Start: Family Law Considerations for Millennials

In a prior blog on millennials and estate planning, I discussed its importance for the younger generation and the unintended consequences that can result from failing to have proper planning in place. In today’s blog, I hope to take that notion a step further by discussing family law implications that

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The Movement to Transparency and the Erosion of Privacy

We live in a world in which personal privacy is under siege, or perhaps simply not valued as much by many as it was by prior generations. As we reach the end of 2018, this year has seen a number of scandals involving significant data breaches and cyber hacking involving

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Death and Taxes: The Buck Does Not Stop Here

Everyone knows that death and taxes are two of life’s certainties, but some of us may not appreciate that our tax liabilities don’t disappear on death and that our legal representatives become responsible for sorting out our unfinished tax business. Some tax liabilities are expected to arise on or after

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Safekeeping of Estate Planning Documents: Digitally Challenged?

As estate practitioners, we continually remind our clients to update their estate planning documents and ensure they reflect their current intentions. A further key consideration is how estate planning documents should be properly recorded, stored and safeguarded. In order to embrace the digital era, the legal community has made significant

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Embracing Change – A Postscript

The STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) Global Congress held in Vancouver in September, 2018, attracted delegates from over 37 countries and six continents. It was a truly global think tank in which we explored, probed, deconstructed and debated some of the most important changes that are, or will

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