Wills, Estates and Trusts Conference 2022

Course Chairs
Helen H. Low, KC — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver
Genevieve N. Taylor — Legacy Tax + Trust Lawyers, Vancouver

About the Course Chairs
Helen Low, KC practices at Fasken in the wills, trusts, and estates area, where she focuses on contentious matters that may lead to litigation. Helen also engages in estate and incapacity planning for clients who want to avoid future litigation. She has taught the Succession law course at the Allard School of Law at UBC for 10 years and is a current contributing author for a number of CLEBC publications related to trust and estates law. Helen is a frequent speaker and author in estate and trust law matters both in BC and nationally. In 2014, she was appointed Queen's Counsel.

Genevieve Taylor is a principal at Legacy Tax + Trust Lawyers who practices in the areas of wills, estates, trusts, and adult guardianship. She works in all aspects of estate planning and administration, including the preparation of wills, powers of attorney, representation agreements, and inter vivos trusts, as well as applications for probate and letters of administration. Genevieve has authored and co-authored a number of papers on wills, estates, trusts, and adult guardianship, and is a frequent speaker on these topics.  Genevieve taught Succession at the Allard School of Law at UBC for three years.

Online Moderator for Estate Litigation Update 2022
Elise Kohno — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver

Elise Kohno is an Associate in the Specialty Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group specializing in trusts, wills, estates, and charities litigation. She has assisted clients in complex trusts and estates cases at the BC Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.  She has experience in disputes involving variation of wills and trusts, abuses of powers of attorney and trustee breaches, and undue influence and lack of capacity claims.

Elise graduated from the Peter A. Allard School of Law in 2019. Prior to returning to Fasken for articles, Elise clerked for eight justices of the Supreme Court of BC.

Faculty
The Honourable Madam Justice Lauren Blake — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Eric B. Clavier — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver
Deidre J. Herbert — McLellan Herbert, Vancouver
Fiona Hunter — Horne Coupar LLP, Victoria
Janis Ko — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver
Roger D. Lee — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
J. Jeffrey Locke — McLellan Herbert, Vancouver
Rebecca M. Morse — Farris LLP, Vancouver
Amy A. Mortimore — Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver
Christine M. Muckle — Legacy Tax + Trust Lawyers, Vancouver
Alison Oxtoby — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver
Cheyenne J.H. Reese — Legacy Tax + Trust Lawyers, Vancouver
Stanley Rule — Sabey Rule LLP, Kelowna
Roja Safartabar — Farris LLP, Vancouver
Ingrid M. Tsui — Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP, Vancouver
Richard Weiland — Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver
Geoffrey W. White, KC — Geoffrey W. White Law Corporation, Counsel, Clark Wilson LLP, Kelowna and Vancouver

Estate Planning Update 2022
Thursday, November 3, 2022

Welcome and Land Acknowledgement (9:00 – 9:10)

Genevieve N. Taylor — Legacy Tax + Trust Lawyers, Vancouver

Puzzling Developments in Beneficiary Designations and Resulting Trust (9:10 – 10:00)

• are designations testamentary or inter vivos
• applicable presumptions
• where do we stand
• best practices given the state of the law

Alison Oxtoby — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver

Alter Ego and Joint Partner Trusts: Beyond the Basics (10:00 – 10:50)

• using powers of appointment to create remainder interest
• restricting access to capital
• choosing to avoid s. 75(2) income attribution
• including provisions to facilitate post-mortem tax planning

Richard Weiland — Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver

BREAK (10:50 – 11:05)

Life in the Electronic Age of Wills (11:05 – 12:00)

• rules and tips for electronic witnessing
• digital wills: creation, what happens post-signing, and probate
• practical tools: more paper (counterparts); no paper (e-signing)
• what to do with incapacity planning (PoAs & Rep Agreements)
• vetting for undue influence in the electronic environment

Geoffrey W. White, KC — Geoffrey W. White Law Corporation, Counsel, Clark Wilson LLP, Kelowna and Vancouver

NETWORKING LUNCH (provided for in-person attendees) (12:00 – 1:00)

Land in Trust Planning (1:00 – 1:55)

• statutory regime
  • Land Title Act
  • Property Transfer Tax Act
  • Land Owner Transparency Act
• drafting considerations
• current best practices

Fiona Hunter — Horne Coupar LLP, Victoria

US Estate and Gift Taxes (1:55 – 2:50)

• US estate and gift taxes—a primer
• credits and exemptions available—domestic law and treaty relief
• common fact patterns
• common tax reduction/avoidance techniques

Christine M. Muckle — Legacy Tax + Trust Lawyers, Vancouver
Cheyenne J.H. Reese — Legacy Tax + Trust Lawyers, Vancouver

BREAK (2:50 – 3:05)

Charitable Giving (3:05 – 3:55)

• making the most out of charitable giving: tips and traps
• due diligence considerations in charitable gift-giving
• identifying the right charitable gifting vehicle

Ingrid M. Tsui — Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP, Vancouver

Closing Remarks (3:55 – 4:00)

Genevieve N. Taylor — Legacy Tax + Trust Lawyers, Vancouver

Estate Litigation Update 2022
Friday, November 4, 2022

Welcome and Land Acknowledgement (9:00 – 9:10)

Helen H. Low, KC — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver

Case Law Update (9:10 – 10:00)

• wills variation update
• Patients Property Act update, including:
  • surreptitious recording of adult
  • Cepuran v. Carlton, 2022 BCCA 76
• Power of Attorney Act update

Deidre J. Herbert — McLellan Herbert, Vancouver
J. Jeffrey Locke — McLellan Herbert, Vancouver

Update on Applications Made Under WESA—The Tests and Recent Cases (10:00 – 10:45)

• section 58—the "curative" provision
• section 59—the "rectification" provision
• section 132—administration under "special circumstances"
• section 151—proceedings brought on behalf of an estate

Eric B. Clavier — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver
Janis Ko — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver

BREAK (10:45 – 11:00)

Intersecting Issues Between Family Law and Estate & Trust Law (11:00 – 11:45)

• unjust enrichment
• trusts interests and excluded property (s. 85 of the Family Law Act)
• valuation of discretionary trust interests

Rebecca M. Morse — Farris LLP, Vancouver
Roja Safartabar — Farris LLP, Vancouver

NETWORKING LUNCH (provided for in-person attendees) (11:45 – 12:45)

Bench & Bar—Practice Points in Estate Cases (12:45 – 1:40)

• pre-trial preparation
• trial tips
• virtual testimony
• civility
• closing argument
• costs

The Honourable Madam Justice Lauren Blake — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Roger D. Lee — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver

Claims Against Fiduciaries (1:40 – 2:35)

• removal
• accounting
• damages
• case law update and trends

Stanley Rule — Sabey Rule LLP, Kelowna

BREAK (2:35 – 2:50)

Lesser Known Tools in Estate Litigation (2:50 – 3:50)

• litigation guardian v. litigation representative
• marriage caveats
• consumer protection framework

Amy A. Mortimore — Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver

Closing Remarks (3:50 – 4:00)

Helen H. Low, KC — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver