Probate
Executor’s Duties: A Solemn Responsibility
If you have been named in a will to carry out your loved one’s final wishes, you are taking on a heavy responsibility, with sometimes onerous duties and personal liability should anything go wrong.
With the Wills, Estates and Succession Act, British Columbia has introduced a new set of principles, forms and procedures to estate law. Estate administration has become complex and risky even for people who work in this area full time.
At Richmond’s Fast & Company Law Firm, we carry out duties like these all the time. We know the law and the reasoning behind it. More importantly, we know how difficult it can be to be in your position. We know that you are handling complex legal procedures at the same time as you deal with a death in the family, with all the uncertainty, emotion and conflict that can arise.
Helping Executors Through A Difficult Time
Predicting how long it will take to settle an estate is never easy. It depends on a number of factors, including:
- Amount of property to be appraised
- Complexity of property to be appraised and distributed, including real estate and business interests
- Number of accounts in different financial institutions
- Existence of assets outside of British Columbia
- Any family complications
We can help you carry out your duties. These include applying for probate in order to be permitted to act as executor, distributing assets, paying off debts, and recognizing when there may be conflicts or complications.
We can help, whether you want simple advice, or somebody to completely take over and act on your behalf, or something in between.
Fast & Company Law Firm can also offer seamless one-stop services for any real estate needs related to the estate. A skilled, trusted realtor and lawyer will work alongside you during the whole sale process through our innovative RELEX program.
We can also provide notary services, help with any business needs related to the estate, and referrals to trusted professionals outside of our organization if necessary.
Contact Fast & Company Law Firm
Call us at 604-273-6424 to come in for a consultation. We represent clients in Burnaby, Richmond, Metro Vancouver and beyond.
Estate Administration
What If There Is No Will?
Whenever a person dies intestate (without a will), the law determines who will get their property and an administrator must be appointed to settle his or her affairs. Usually, this means that a close family member or friend must apply for letters of administration.
Making an application can be confusing, costly, and time-consuming.
At Fast & Company Law Firm, we understand that the time after a loved one or close friend has died is probably the time when you are least able to handle the intricate and frustrating paperwork necessary to be appointed administrator — or to perform many of the tasks required, for that matter.
Estate administration is our area. Our lawyer and staff can help guide you through it, or take over completely. With our help, you can save time, effort and money, and concentrate on mourning and taking care of your family.
Trust Us To Help You Through
If you are a spouse, child, successor, or close friend or associate of the deceased, come and talk to us about the duties you will be taking on, which may include:
- Making the application
- Distributing the assets
- Making funeral arrangements
- Locating all of the assets
- Advertising for any possible creditors
- Selling assets, including real estate, investments and personal possessions
- Locating and contacting all possible heirs, in and out of the province
- Contacting utilities and credit card companies to notify them of the death
- Filing the final income tax return
- Paying off all debts
- Keeping records of all your actions for the benefit of the beneficiaries
We can help you complete your tasks efficiently, avoiding common pitfalls and protecting you from liability.
Contact Fast & Company Law Firm
Let us help you and your family. We provide advice, guidance and legal services to clients in Metro Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond and surrounding areas. Call us at 604-273-6424 to come in and talk to us.
Corporate Law
Business Start-Up / Incorporation
We provide information and advice to entrepreneurs to prepare them for success and protect them from liability. We will help you determine if you should structure your business as a proprietorship, partnership or corporation, and create an ownership structure that can reduce your tax bill. We will help you choose your business name, and advise you on how to protect it.
If you choose to incorporate, we can set up your company provincially or federally, and act as your company’s registered and records office for a low annual fee. Our corporate software ensures that your corporate records are accurate and complete. Our clients know that we are always on hand to provide advice or assistance, and that we don’t charge for finding answers to many of their questions.
Tax Planning
We will work together with your tax advisor to reorganize and restructure your company and implement tax planning techniques to minimize taxes owing to Canada Revenue Agency.
Extra-Provincial Company Registrations
If your corporation is based in another jurisdiction but carries on business in British Columbia, you are required to register your corporation with the British Columbia Registrar of Companies and appoint an attorney and head office within British Columbia. For a low annual fee, we can act as head office and attorney for your extra-provincial corporation.
Business Sale and Purchases
If you are buying or selling a business, we will help you put together an asset purchase and share purchase. For purchasers, our due diligence will help ensure that you get what you pay for, and that you won’t be liable for the debts of the previous owner. A comprehensive purchase agreement protects you from unwanted surprises after closing. Getting advice at the beginning will save you money over time and remove many of the uncertainties that come with a new venture.
For sellers, we prepare you for the sale process and help to maximize your return by making your business attractive to purchasers. Most sale agreements contain a large number of representations and warranties which can be a minefield for an unsuspecting seller. We help you navigate the terms to ensure that you get your money, and get to keep your money.
Contact Fast & Company Law Firm
We represent businesses throughout Burnaby, Metro Vancouver and surrounding areas. Call us at 604-273-6424.
Real Estate
Real estate is a large part of our firm’s practice. We offer comprehensive legal services to assist with the purchase and sale of real estate.
With over 30 years’ experience, we have the necessary expertise and experience to handle all aspects of the real estate transaction, whether the property is residential, commercial or industrial.
We act for buyers, sellers, and developers, and are also authorized to act on behalf of major chartered banks, trust companies, life insurance companies, credit unions, and other financial institutions and lenders in connection with the preparation and registration of mortgages and other security.
Each year, we handle hundreds of real estate transactions involving many millions of dollars. Every purchase and sale and mortgage is different. From the first-time home buyer to the sophisticated investor or developer, we ensure that our clients are familiar with all aspects of a real estate transaction. Our conscientious and dedicated staff will do whatever is necessary to complete your transaction particularly when turnaround times are short.
Whether your transaction involves a family home, an investment condo, a commercial property, or other type of property, you can trust our firm to provide quality, accurate, and efficient legal services at a reasonable price.
Are you looking to buy or sell property? We would encourage you to check out our unique and innovative ‘Relex’ program at www.relexinc.ca which we offer to our clients. It allows you to use professionals (lawyer and realtor) throughout your real estate transaction, your legal closing costs are free, and you have the potential of significant savings on your real estate commission. It’s a win-win situation for clients in the market to purchase or sell a family home or other type of property. Follow the link to this website: www.relex.ca.
Contact Fast & Company Law Firm
We represent real estate clients in Burnaby, Richmond, Metro Vancouver and surrounding areas. Call us at 604-273-6424.
Notary Public
Notarizations
Documents that need to be signed under oath or copies that need to be certified are often called notarizations.
In the case of certified true copies, you can come to our office with the original document and we will take a copy and certify it to be a true copy.
In the case of documents to be signed under oath (often called Affidavits or Statutory Declarations), the person to sign this document must come to our office in person with the document or form and provide 2 pieces of valid government issued ID. When signing in our presence, we will certify that you were in our office at that time, signed in front of the notary and were properly identified.
If you are travelling with a child, we also witness travel consents.
In either case, you can come to our office anytime (Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.), no appointment is necessary.
Please note: we do not notarize Powers of Attorney or Wills.
Contact Fast & Company Law Firm
We provide notary services for clients in Burnaby, Richmond, Metro Vancouver and surrounding areas. Call us at 604-273-6424.