SERVICES
WILLS AND ESTATES
Estate planning is a valuable process for everyone, regardless of age or family composition. It enables individuals to designate beneficiaries for financial assets and to choose people to make financial and medical decisions on their behalf. Recent changes to Alberta law, in particular division of matrimonial property, make it important to consult a lawyer before making legal decisions with regards to estates.
Carina provides knowledgeable advice with regard to estates. Our work includes advising on a comprehensive estate plan that not only encompasses assets but also health and legal decision-making authority. Effective planning can prevent disputes between family members during end-of-life and litigation over wills.
Components to an estate plan will generally include the following documents:
Will
which states how assets are to be disbursed
Power of attorney
which grants authority to a person to make financial and legal decisions on a person’s behalf if he or she becomes incapable
Personal directive
which grants authority to a person to make medical, health and personal care decisions on a person’s behalf if he or she becomes incapable
As it stands in Alberta law, these documents must be drafted separately and cannot be combined into one. Legal advice is essential in order to ensure the documents are drafted correctly and give full effect to an individual’s wishes.
Carina is committed to the full scope of client care. This includes providing clients with the knowledge they need to understand their legal choices. We help clients to understand their family assets, the effects of the law on the disbursement of those assets and alert them to any unique circumstances that may affect their estate planning. Our clients have blended families, dependants with special needs and substantial assets all of which give rise to specific considerations in an estate plan.