The plan that protects your family when you cannot.

Without a will, the Succession Law Reform Act decides who gets what. If you are married with children and your estate exceeds $350,000, your spouse takes that first $350,000 and a share of the remainder. Your children split the rest. You had no say.

If you are in a common-law relationship, the situation is worse. Under the Succession Law Reform Act, a common-law partner has no right to inherit on intestacy. Twenty years together. Children together. It does not matter. Without a will, the surviving partner must apply to court for dependant support, prove their claim, and wait months for a result that is never guaranteed.

Without a power of attorney, no one has authority over your finances or medical care if you become incapacitated. Not your spouse. Not your children. A guardianship application through the Superior Court takes roughly a year when uncontested, and costs $5,000 to $12,000 in legal fees, assessments, and court costs. When family members disagree, those figures climb past $20,000.

We prepare wills, continuing powers of attorney for property, and powers of attorney for personal care. For straightforward situations, the work is focused and efficient. For complex ones, we go further.

Complex means business ownership where the estate plan and the shareholder agreement need to say the same thing. Blended families where children from a prior relationship need protection alongside a current spouse. Registered accounts where a $500,000 RRSP without a spousal rollover generates roughly $268,000 in tax at death. Cottages that trigger capital gains, create shared ownership disputes among siblings, and require planning that most families never think about until it is too late.

We use the multiple wills strategy where it makes sense. A secondary will covers private company shares, personal effects, and other assets that do not require a Certificate of Appointment. Only the primary will goes through probate. For families with a member who has a disability, we draft Henson trusts that preserve Ontario Disability Support Program eligibility by keeping assets in the trustee's absolute discretion.

We work with your accountant and financial advisor. Estate planning involves tax, insurance, and investment decisions that need to work together. We expect your other advisors to be part of the conversation.

Every plan starts with a conversation. Not paperwork. A conversation about your family, your assets, and the outcomes that matter most to you.

We ask questions you may not have considered. Who manages your finances if you have a stroke at 58? If you and your spouse die together, who raises your children and who manages their money? Does your shareholder agreement conflict with your will? Have you looked at your RRSP beneficiary designations since your last major life change?

For a straightforward will and powers of attorney, the process takes two to three weeks from first meeting to signing. Complex plans take longer, and we tell you at the outset what to expect. We explain every document in plain language before you sign. We recommend reviewing your plan every three to five years, and immediately after any major life event.