If you are selected to administer a family member’s, close friend’s or business associate’s estate, chances are that in this digital age, your responsibilities could include management of the digital assets of the deceased. When you consider that may entail responsibility for a lifetime’s worth of accounts and files uploaded to the cloud, coupled with bereaved loved ones clamoring for … Read More
Estate Administration: how to know if one is up to the task?
Some people are born to greatness; others have greatness thrust upon them, a famous saying has it. In a sense, the same is true for estate executors. Most executors know well in advance that they have been chosen for the job, while others may not find out until the testator’s wishes are revealed after his or her passing. Estate administration … Read More
Definitions of the Wills, Estates and Succession Act
If you are involved in the probate of a will, below are some definitions and interpretations as set forth in the Wills, Estates and Succession Act that took effect in British Columbia in 2014. Beneficiary – An individual named in wills to receive a portion or all of an estate, or an individual who has a beneficial interest in any trusts … Read More
Estate Lawyers Represent Only the Personal Representative
Sometimes in cases of estate administration, the person named as administrator of the estate will retain a lawyer to assist him or her with the process, only to learn later that there is a potential conflict of interest involved. A British Columbia estate administration lawyer who has a busy practice and full roster of present and former clients may not … Read More