BC Probate & Estate Administration Practice Manual

Handle probate and estate matters with confidence

This publication is essential for: all practitioners who do estate administration or estate litigation work.

Current to: March 1, 2015; forms are current to July 1, 2015

The BC Probate and Estate Administration Practice Manual is the only practice-oriented guide for British Columbia legal professionals working in probate and estate administration. This long-standing, trusted resource is written and peer-reviewed by leading members of the wills and estates bar, and is updated annually.

With this resource, you will have:

• step-by-step, practical guidance on managing probate and estate matters, from providing initial advice to a personal representative, to preparing and making applications, to handling difficult tax and conflict of laws issues
• the forms and precedents you need, available as downloads or on a CD
• convenient checklists on the procedures to follow in a matter

Online access conveniently places this resource at your fingertips and is fully searchable with links to full-text cases and legislation.

ONLINE ONLY annual subscriptions are available. Subscribe now.

Highlights of the Summer 2015 Update

• incorporates amendments to the probate rules (Part 25 of the Supreme Court Civil Rules) and probate forms (Appendix A.1 of the Civil Rules) that took effect on July 1, 2015, pursuant to B.C. Reg. 103/2015
• changes made to 12 of the key probate forms: rule changes affect when to apply by petition for certain orders, the substitution of personal representatives in the event of death, when to apply by desk order (instead of a hearing) for certain orders, and when to attach a copy of allegedly invalid or irrelevant testamentary documents in an application for estate grant

Highlights of the 2015 Update

•  several chapters reorganized to incorporate changes to practice under the WESA, including chapters 2 (now “Devolution of Assets”), 3 (now “Pre-application Matters”), 4 (now “Proceedings Relating to Grant Applications”) and 18 (now “Proof in Solemn Form”)
• registry and other practice changes occurring in the first year under the WESA
• tax chapters 12 to 14 significantly revised for new developments affecting alter ego trusts, joint spousal trusts, spousal trusts, and other trusts; topics include:
  • graduated rate estates
  • life estates
  • joint liability for payment of tax
  • donation tax credits and effect on charitable giving; and
  • qualified disability trusts and disability tax credits
• new discussions and appendix to deal with digital assets
• new case law throughout, including the first decisions under the WESA and new Probate Rules
• all recent federal and provincial legislative changes affecting practice
• all features of the manual brought current to March 1, 2015, except where noted

CLEBC Legal Editor 
Jonathan M. Vogt
jvogt@cle.bc.ca

VOLUME 1

Chapters

1. Initial Advice
2. Devolution of Assets
3. Pre-Application Matters
4. Proceedings Relating to Grant Applications
5. Applications for Probate and Administration with Will Annexed
6. Applications for Administration without Will Annexed
7. Probate Fees
8. Bringing a Foreign Grant into British Columbia
9. Applications in the Course of Administration
10. Transmission and Transfer of Assets
11. Creditors
12. Taxation of the Deceased
13. Taxation of Estates and Testamentary Trusts
14. Special Tax Issues
15. Accounts
16. Remuneration of Personal Representatives and Trustees
17. Remuneration of Lawyers
18. Proof in Solemn Form
19. Wills Variation Claims
20. Estates Under the Indian Act
21. Conflict of Laws in Estate Administration

VOLUME 2

Forms and Precedents
Initial Advice
Assets and Liabilities: Valuation and Inventory
Some Pre-Application Matters
Applications for Estate Grants
Foreign Grants
Applications in the Course of Administration
Transmission and Transfer of Assets
Creditors
Taxation
Accounts
Remuneration of lawyers
Proceeds Relating to Grant Applications
Wills Variation Claims

Legislation
Probate Fee Act
Supreme Court Civil Rules 21-6 and 25-1 to 25-16
Tables of Concordance for the WESA and the New Probate Rules
Trustee Act
Wills, Estates and Succession Act
Wills, Estates and Succession Regulation

Checklists
Probate and Administration Interview [CL 1]
Probate and Administration Procedure [CL 2]

Case Table

Statute Table

References

Index

Features

• complete set of forms and precedents
• checklists
• regular updates
• tables of cases, statutes, and references
• comprehensive index
• convenient looseleaf format with tab indexing
• online access to electronic version with hyperlinks to primary law

Editorial Board
Sandra L. Enticknap, QC — Miller Thomson LLP, Vancouver 
Mary B. Hamilton — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
Geoffrey W. White — Geoffrey W. White Law Corporation, Kelowna
Linda J. Yardley — Barrister & Solicitor, Vancouver

Authors
Shelley A. Bentley — Shelley Bentley Law Corporation, Vancouver
Lauren A.E. Blake — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
Professor Elizabeth R. Edinger — Faculty of Law at Allard Hall, University of BC, Vancouver
Sandra L. Enticknap, QC — Miller Thomson LLP, Vancouver
Heather D. Fisher — Horne Coupar, Victoria 
Andrea E. Frisby — Legacy Tax + Trust Lawyers, Vancouver 
Peter J. Glowacki — Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Vancouver 
Kay E. Gray, CGA, TEP — Grant Thornton LLP, Vancouver
M. Scott Kerwin — Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Vancouver
Anna Laing — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver
Roger D. Lee — DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, Vancouver
Helen H. Low, QC — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver
Andrew S. MacKay — Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP, Vancouver
Sharon A. MacMillan — Miller Thomson LLP, Vancouver
John R. Manning — Manning & Kirkhope, Nanaimo
Rose Shawlee — Richards Buell Sutton LLP, Vancouver
Genevieve N. Taylor — Legacy Tax + Trust Lawyers, Vancouver
Janine A.S. Thomas — Barrister & Solicitor, Vancouver
Ingrid M. Tsui — Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP, Vancouver 
Richard T. Weiland — Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver 
Mark S. Weintraub, with contributions from Amy A. Mortimore, Veronica P. Franco, Richard T. Weiland, Raman Johal, Rong (Lauren) Liang, and Gordon Behan — Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver
Susan A. Willis — Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Canada, Vancouver
Linda J. Yardley — Barrister & Solicitor, Vancouver

The Editorial Board also wishes to acknowledge the contributions of the following:
Master William McCallum — Supreme Court of BC, Victoria
Master Leslie Muir — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Sheri Rojas — Manager, Provincial Registrars' Program, The Law Courts, Vancouver
Registrar Kathryn Sainty — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver