Wills Precedents: An Annotated Guide

This book is essential for:  All lawyers who draft wills in British Columbia.

Current to: January 1, 2011 

Immensely popular since it was first published in 1998, this collection of sample will clauses and documents includes representation agreements and many other BC-focused precedents. Peter W. Bogardus, QC and Mary B. Hamilton of Davis LLP have created a book of wills precedents that your clients can understand. The annotations and commentary explain the use of optional clauses and alert you to the relevant law.

The book includes precedents for wills, nominations of committee, powers of attorney, representation agreements, codicils, insurance declarations, and other documents. It also includes will instruction questionnaires and forms, sample letters, and clauses on disk. Subscriptions include clauses on CD-ROM and regular updates.

Highlights of the 2011 update

• the contents have been completely replaced, incorporating improvements in the authors’ precedents, practice developments from the last three years, and changes to the commentary and precedents in anticipation of the WESA
• an “Outline of Changes to Precedents—2011 Update”, included in the front material, guides readers to the clauses and other precedents that have been revised
• the book features a new design to improve its readability, corresponding with the design of the coming online version
• the online version will soon be available to all subscribers; it will include a will-building feature that allows users to create the first draft of a will by selecting clauses with buttons, and exporting the first draft to a word processing program
  

CLEBC Program Lawyer
Jonathan M. Vogt
jvogt@cle.bc.ca

1.   Introductory Clauses
2.   Definitions
3.   Executors
4.   Guardians
5.   Insurance Declarations (Within the Will)
6.   RRSP/RRIF Designations (Within the Will)
7.   Administration
8.   Debts
9.   Real Estate
10.  Articles
10A.Plans (RRSPs, RRIFs, RESPs, and Rewards)
11.  Advances, Loans, and Forgiveness of Debt
12.  Cash Gifts and Funds
13.  Residue
14.  Residue—Outright Gifts
15.  Residue—Miscellaneous Preambles
16.  Residue—Trusts
17.  Residue—Discretionary Trusts for Life
18.  Residue—If All Else Fails
19.  Powers of Trustees
20.  Funeral Wishes
21.  Execution

Other Documents
22.  Codicil
23.  Revocation of Will
24.  Memorandum of Articles
25.  Insurance Declarations (Separate Documents)
26.  RRSP/RRIF Designations (Separate Documents)
27.  Wills for First Nations Persons
28.  Powers of Attorney for Financial Affairs
29.  Nominations of Committee
30.  Representation Agreement—Enhanced Powers for Health and Personal Care (s. 9)
31.  Advance Directives for Health Care (Personal Declarations)
32.  Representation Agreement—General Powers (s. 7)
33.  Division of Household Goods and Personal Effects

Questionnaires and Forms
34.  Instruction Questionnaire for Wills and Estate Planning
35.  Power of Attorney Questionnaire
36.  Nomination of Committee Questionnaire
37.  Representation Agreement Questionnaire
38.  Internal Instruction Form for Wills and Estate Planning

Letters and Checklists
39.  Retainer Letter
40.  Letter to Clients Enclosing Original Documents for Execution
41.  Instructions for Executing a Will
42.  Report Letter
43.  Will Reminder Form
44.  Letter to Insurance Company
45.  Letter to RRSP/RRIF Planholder
46.  Reminder Letter
47.  Reporting Checklist—After Execution
48.  Checklist to Close a Will File

Sample Wills
49.  Simple "Death Bed" Will
50.  Sample Will
51.  British Columbia Will

Features

• complete set of clauses on disk 
• checklists
• regular updates
• tables of cases, statutes, and references
• comprehensive index
• convenient looseleaf format with tab indexing

Authors
Peter W. Bogardus, QC — Davis LLP, Vancouver
Mary B. Hamilton — Davis LLP, Vancouver