Elder Law 2025

Course Chairs
Janis Ko — McLellan Herbert Locke LLP, Vancouver
J. Jeffrey Locke — McLellan Herbert Locke LLP, Vancouver

About the Course Chairs
Janis Ko is a litigation lawyer at McLellan Herbert Locke who has practiced exclusively in the area of estates, trusts and elder law for over 10 years. Prior to joining McLellan Herbert Locke, Janis worked at a large international law firm in Vancouver where she practiced with a team of leading estate and trust lawyers.

Janis has presented and written papers for CLEBC, Trial Lawyers Association of BC, and the Pacific Business Law Institute. Janis is also a co-author of the CLEBC book Estate Disputes in BC: A Litigator's Guide.

Janis is a member of the CBA and a past chair of the CBA Wills and Trusts Vancouver subsection.

Jeff Locke is one of the principals of McLellan Herbert Locke LLP and maintains a practice devoted almost entirely to wills, estates, and elder law litigation. With over 15 years of litigation experience, he has appeared before all levels of court in BC to assist executors, beneficiaries, and family members in resolving the various disputes that arise in those arenas.

Outside of the office, Jeff regularly speaks at legal education events, was an adjunct professor at Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC for over 10 years, and has volunteered his time with both the University of Victoria and Thompson Rivers University law schools. He recently contributed two chapters to CLEBC's Estate Disputes in BC: A Litigator's Guide, is one of the general editors of Financial and Estate Planning for the Mature Client in BC, and is a contributor to PLTC's Wills and Estates Practice Manual. Jeff also volunteers his time as a member of the Planned Giving Committee for the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation.

Faculty
Marie-Noël Campbell — Executive Director & Staff Lawyer, Seniors First BC, Vancouver
Dr. Peter Chan — Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, UBC, Vancouver
Kevin Coughlin — Manager, Assessment and Investigation Services and Personal Services, Services to Adults, Public Guardian and Trustee of BC, Vancouver
Deanna Fedio — Legal Counsel, Health Law & Disputes, Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver
Julia Lauwers — Associate General Counsel, Health Law & Disputes, Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver
Dan Levitt — BC Seniors Advocate, Victoria
Amy A. Mortimore, KC — Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver
Braeden J. Rahn — Geoffrey W. White Law Corporation & Clark Wilson LLP, Kelowna & Vancouver
Geoffrey W. White, KC — Geoffrey W. White Law Corporation & Counsel, Clark Wilson LLP, Kelowna & Vancouver
Taylor-Marie Young — Rush Ihas Hardwick LLP, Kelowna

Course Materials Contributors
Lauren Dohler — Rush Ihas Hardwick LLP, Kelowna
Geoffrey W. White, KC — Geoffrey W. White Law Corporation & Counsel, Clark Wilson LLP, Kelowna & Vancouver

Click here for full faculty bios

• 10 years post-Bentley
• MAiD update
• attacks on capacity (estate and family planning)
• joint tenancies and other housing disputes

• representing clients with diminished capacity
• how to put client's evidence before the court
• ethical obligations

• role of the Health Authorities in addressing abuse under the AGA
• challenges/common issues arising in situations of elder abuse: HA perspective
• financial abuse—PGT vs. HA jurisdiction
• intergenerational property issues/different cultural communities
• capacity/consent/legal instruments
• estate planning issues

• update on work of Office of the Seniors Advocate
• care homes—not for profit vs. profit, negligence

• assessing the client's mental capacity
• integration with disability benefits
• clients with disabilities and dementia
• powers of attorney and representation agreements
• trust planning

• triage of abuse calls by the Seniors Abuse and Information Line (SAIL)
  • risk assessment and safety planning 
  • internal referrals to other Seniors First BC Services (victim services, legal services)
  • external referrals (PGT, Designated Agencies, community agencies) 
• clinical manifestations and management of elder abuse
• the role of the PGT when responding to reports of abuse, neglect, and self-neglect
• PGT's criteria to initiate an investigation and considerations used to determine whether to pursue a legal authority on behalf of an adult