Your Questions, Answered.

It is not a bad omen to have a Will, and it’s crucial to have your Estate plan in place while you’re still competent to make your wishes known and be legally effective.

Anyone who wants the security of knowing that their Estate (personal possessions, property and/or money) will be dealt with efficiently and according to their wishes should have a Will.

There are several reasons why you should have a Will:
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1) A Will allows you to control of your own wishes and intentions;

2)There are very few things that are as divisive and hurtful among family members than trying to figure out what a deceased relative would have wanted;

3) It is almost always less expensive for your family to deal with your Estate if you have a Will;

4) When you die without a Will, the delay in organizing your affairs can be significant.  

Simply put, a Power of Attorney is a document that gives another person the power to make financial or business-related decisions on your behalf.  This includes paying your bills or selling personal property or real estate on your behalf.  

It is important to have a Power of Attorney in order to deal with either planned absences or unexpected life events.

Commonly referred to as a "living will", a Medical Representation Agreement is similar to a Power of Attorney in that it gives another person the power to make decisions on your behalf, but only with respect to medical decisions if you are unable to make them for yourself.  

A Medical Representation Agreement allows your "Representative" to make decisions on a variety of health-related items ranging from your clothing and care to minor and major surgeries.

The dictionary definition of “litigation” is the act, process, or practice of settling a dispute in a court of law, but to us, this is overly simplistic.

Disputes can arise in jurisdictions not governed by the courts, such as human rights complaints, employment standards grievances, and residential tenancy matters. These types of matters are typically handled, resolved, or adjudicated through pseudo-court like processes, and not in the courthouse.

Even within the traditional litigation process, there are ways to resolve or adjudicate disputes outside of the courtroom, such as mediation and arbitration.

Unlike most law firms, we do not bill by the standard “billable hour”. In areas such as Real Estate, Immigration and Estate Planning, our services are offered on a fixed fee basis.

In Litigation and Family Law matters, we work on a fair fee basis, where we outline, in advance, how much a particular stage or stages of work will cost based on factors such as complexity and our experience in similar matters. This model creates transparency for lawyer and client from the outset and avoids surprises.