Why Choose Us

Flat Fees

95% of our clients are charged predictable flat rates.

Specialization

We focus only on estate planning, probate and corporate law.

Respected

With awards won and hundreds of 5-star reviews, we’re well known for our top-quality advice and friendly service.

Charitable

We donate 1% of all revenue to charity.

Your Trusted North Vancouver Wills & Estates Firm

We focus mainly on estate planning and helping executors with probate applications and advice. Because we are each a wills lawyer and a probate lawyer, no matter which lawyer you choose here, you will get comprehensive advice no matter how complex your estate planning or probate situation is. 

A probate lawyer in North Vancouver who you can trust

The experienced probate lawyers in the North Vancouver office of Westcoast Wills & Estates ease the burden on executors and estate administrators. The stresses of being an executor of a will can often be overwhelming. When you book with a probate lawyer at Westcoast’s North Vancouver location, you start with an initial consultation, where the estate lawyer educates executors about all the steps to take in estate administration. Following this first meeting, a probate lawyer can help as much or as little as needed with the probate application or otherwise. Our lawyers guide executors through the complexities of probate until the estate is wound up. If you are an executor who needs some guidance, give us a call and our experienced North Vancouver probate attorneys can help.

Questions about probating a will in North Vancouver or estate administration in North Vancouver? See our Probate FAQs.

Wills Lawyer in North Vancouver

With Westcoast Wills and Estates, an experienced wills lawyer in North Vancouver can help you develop a comprehensive estate plan customized to your situation at a reasonable cost. Typical plans include a Will, a Power of Attorney (for financial decisions) and a Representation Agreement (for personal and healthcare decisions). Our friendly wills lawyers also routinely prepare other documents for clients, such as an Advance Directive, Living Will, Joint Partner Trust or Alter Ego Trust, Beneficiary designation trust, Cohabitation Agreement, or a Marriage Agreement.

When working with our North Vancouver wills and estates lawyers, you can rest assured that your property will be distributed as you intended. A Wills and trusts lawyer will take your instructions, provide professional advice and draft a comprehensive Will that incorporates all of your wishes and includes appropriate trusts, while minimizing taxes payable by your estate.

Do you want to ask an estate planning lawyer in North Vancouver a question? Book in for a consultation, or read about the most common questions for our North Vancouver wills lawyers, including whether or not you need a will.

Committeeship lawyers in North Vancouver

Our committeeship lawyers in North Vancouver can apply to court on your behalf for an appointment of committee. This is most often required when a person becomes incapacitated and they have not already appointed someone else to handle their finances in a power of attorney.  In this case, all assets in their name are effectively frozen, from bank accounts to real estate. If your loved one is in this situation, someone may need to be appointed as their committee of estate. There are a lot of ins and outs, so its best to call to have a consultation with one of our experienced North Vancouver committeeship lawyers before deciding what to do.

Corporate Lawyer in North Vancouver

A friendly North Vancouver corporate lawyer from Westcoast Wills & Estates can help with all steps in the life of a company.

Tax Lawyer in North Vancouver

Our friendly tax lawyer in North Vancouver provides:

  • Tax advice to individuals and corporations
  • Pipeline transactions and loss carryback planning
  • Estate freezes
  • Family Trusts
  • Notice of objection to reassessments from CRA
  • Voluntary Disclosure Applications

Get a Free Quote

Our estate planning lawyers speak English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Punjabi and Hindi, and offer flexible appointment times to fit your schedule. We’re just a phone call away.

Get In Touch

Contact Us

Our estate planning lawyers speak English, Cantonese, and Vietnamese. Appointment times are available weekdays, both during the day and evening, to accommodate those with busy work schedules.

  • Head Office
    308 – 1200 Lonsdale Avenue,
    North Vancouver, BC V7M 3H6
  • Hours: By Appointment Only
  • info@westcoastwills.com
  • 1 (604) 230-1068

Client Reviews

Our Clients Love Us

Don’t just take our word for it; here’s a sample of what clients are saying about us.

  • “My partner and I recently worked with Westcoast Wills and Estates to prepare our wills, powers of attorney, and representation agreements, and we couldn’t be happier with the experience. Bronte was absolutely fantastic–personable, professional, and incredibly thorough. She took the time to walk us through each document in detail, answered all of our questions clearly, and made what could have been a daunting process feel simple and manageable. Even when we had to make a few last-minute changes, she turned around the final documents quickly and efficiently. We’re so grateful for her guidance and would confidently recommend this firm to anyone looking for help with their estate planning.”

    Michael J

  • “I recently had a Will and Trust done at Westcoast Wills and Estates. I initially went with them because of their upfront, transparent, and reasonable fee structure. After being “nickel and dimed” to death by a previous law firm, I wanted a flat rate for my Will and Trust.
    I dealt with a fabulous lawyer, Mudit Jain. He is a tax and estate specialist who explained everything thoroughly and offered advice on how to set up my estate in the most tax efficient way possible. He’s extremely knowledgeable, very personable and was available to answer any questions I had during the process.
    I’m very pleased with the whole experience and I highly recommend Mudit Jain at Westcoast Wills and Estates.”

    Cheryl B.

  • “My wife died in late January and I turned to West Coast Wills & Estates to assist me with probating her will. Aron Chitsaz was the lawyer that I dealt with. He was very understanding, competent and patient with me throughout this emotional and , sometimes, frustrating procedure. I received prompt and excellent service both in answering my inquiries and in completing the necessary documentation for the probate. I was impressed that from the time that the probate documents were filed to the time a settlement request was received was only about six weeks. This illustrates that Aron was thorough in the preparation of the necessary documents for probate. I was also pleased that Westcoast Wills charged me a fixed cost for completing the probate rather than having an open ended arrangement. I was very pleased with the service that I got from Westcoast Wills and Aron Chitsaz. I will use them again to complete my own will.”

    Robin Smith

  • “I definitely would suggest Westcoast Wills & Estates if you are needing assistance with your estate. Throughout the process, they cared for me like family. Professional, thorough, organized and super friendly. They carefully walk you through all the required steps. I would specifically recommend Mudit or Jessica to help you. Thank you for all your help, support and especially, thank you for caring!”

    Chiyoko Kakino

  • “Nick Russell and the West Coast Wills & Estates team helped me handle my father’s estate after his passing. My father did not have a will, and it felt like it was going to be a long and difficult process to manage his final affairs. After meeting with a different firm initially and feeling a bit lost regarding the probate process, I met with Nick, and I immediately felt at ease. From the start, he demonstrated that he truly had my best interest at heart. Nick is approachable, accommodating, and has been incredibly patient and responsive regarding my many questions. Nick’s expertise in his field is evident—he’s highly knowledgeable, and I felt confident in his ability to navigate the complexities of my father’s estate. He offered referrals to other professionals needed to resolve various aspects of my father’s estate, and his resourcefulness and willingness to help were greatly appreciated. Nick’s compassion is also evident, which is, of course, important for someone working in this field. Nick’s legal assistant Jean-Ann and fellow lawyer Jackson were also wonderful to work with—supportive, responsive, and collaborative. I appreciated that West Coast Wills & Estates specializes in this field, as multiple team members could answer questions if Nick was ever unable to take my call. I also found their pricing fair. I never felt overcharged, and the estimated fees were presented upfront from the start. I highly recommend Nick the West Coast Wills & Estates team to anyone in need of wills and estates assistance. You will feel like you are in good hands considering their expertise and supportive approach.”

    Kathleen Murdock

  • “Jackson Sinclair and his support team are great to deal with. He assisted both my elderly mother and disabled brother through the process of updating/preparing all documentation necessary and appropriate for their later years and end of life wishes, and did so respect and compassion.
    Previous to meeting Jackson, they had had an awful experience with a lawyer from a different firm – who was meant to have been an expert on wills and estate planning – instead that lawyer and his team were arrogant and sloppy – both in the advice given and their documentation resulting in multiple corrections and edits to be made.
    There was none of that with Jackson and his team – with them, everything was prepared correctly the first time.”

    Janet D.

  • “Just finished getting our Will and associated documents completed.
    We found Jessica to be professional, knowledgeable, and very pleasant.
    She explained well all the options and answered any questions we had.
    Pricing was up front and no extra hidden charges.
    Very good.”

    Keiko S.

  • ““This is a better late than never review, since I had postponed updating my will for far too long. It’s a daunting experience to face the future, and it is far too easy to keep putting off the inevitable.
    When I first contacted WestCoast Wills, I was actually nervous just making the call, but the young lady I spoke with was very calm and empathetic. I made an appointment with Nick Russell and as soon as I met him, I felt an instant rapport. He was pleasant, knowledgeable and thorough, and took the time to explain everything to me. He put me at ease and within a few weeks, I had it all done. I wish now that I hadn’t left it so long, but now that it’s been done at last, I feel wonderful!
    I highly recommend not only WestCoast Wills, but Nick Russell as well. Now my son and his wife have decided to use him for their estate planning…….and she’s a lawyer herself!”

    Ann S.

Probate Law FAQs

These are just some of the most common questions our firm gets about probate law.

Explore All Probate Law FAQs

Probate means to “prove.” In the case of wills, it refers to the process of proving to the court that a will is legally valid as the last will and disclosing all of the assets in the estate. Oftentimes people loosely use the word “probate” to refer to the much broader process of estate administration though – only a part of which is applying for probate from the court. Estate administration ranges from arranging the funeral, preparing the probate application, filing taxes, paying other debts, distributing the estate, and dozens of steps in between.

Probate is handled by the Supreme Court of BC. The Vancouver Probate Registry currently has a roughly two month delay between the time an application is received and the time that they approve the application. In recent years, that delay has been as much as six months and as short as two weeks. Other court registries have different delay times, but dealing with a registry out of town has its own challenges. See here for a map of the different Supreme Court probate registries throughout the province: https://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/supreme_court/court_locations_and_contacts.aspx

Commonly, estates take anywhere from eight months to two years to wrap up. Frustratingly, a lot of this time is spent waiting for court processing times and tax clearance certificates. Estates with complex assets or disputes can take much longer to administer. Westcoast Wills helps executors navigate the system in the most time and cost-efficient manner.

Simply speaking, the probate fee is a tax charged by the court to approve a will, or in the case of an intestate’s estate, approve the administrator of the estate. In BC, the fee is currently roughly 1.4% of all the assets passing through the estate. We have a probate fee calculator here to help you approximate what the probate fee will be.

Wills FAQs

Our highly experienced legal team often hears these questions about wills and estate planning in BC.

Explore All Estate Planning FAQs

A will is a document where you say who gets your assets when you die. A will can also name successor guardians for minor children and your preferences for funeral, burial or cremation. An estate planning lawyer in Vancouver can help you prepare a will.

A will is a basic document that everyone should have because it says what happens with your assets after you die.

Firstly, choose a lawyer who specializes in wills and possibly one other area of law. The phrase “Jack of all trades, master of none” definitely applies to law, as there are way too many intricacies with every area of law to keep on top of all of them. Wills law is routinely the area of practice with most negligence claims against lawyers because all to many lawyers (who do not focus on this area) do not appreciate the subtle complexities in estate planning.

Secondly, many law firm websites have a review section from previous clients. There are also independent review websites, such as Yelp, Google and Facebook. Westcoast Wills is proud to have so many happy clients and you can see our Google reviews and Facebook reviews.

When someone dies without a will in BC, their estate is said to be intestate. In BC, the distribution of an intestate estate is determined by the Wills, Estates and Succession Act (WESA). Here’s a general outline of how the distribution works:
Spouse or common-law partner: If the deceased person had a spouse or common-law partner but no children, that person is generally entitled to the entire estate.

Spouse or common-law partner and children: If the deceased person had a spouse or partner and children, generally, the spouse or partner receives a preferential share of the estate (currently set at $300,000), and the remainder is divided between the spouse or partner and the children. There are variations of this in the law, resulting in different distribution schemes for different circumstance. A probate lawyer in Vancouver can help you determine exactly where the estate will go.

Children but no spouse or common-law partner: If the deceased person had children but no spouse or partner, the estate is divided equally among the children.

No spouse, partner, or children: the laws dictate that the deceased’s estate will generally pass to the deceased person’s next of kin, using parentelic distribution, with some exceptions.

If no eligible relatives can be found, the estate is transferred to the provincial government.

In cases where there is no will, it is generally advisable to seek legal advice from a wills lawyer to understand the specific implications and process involved in administering the estate according to the intestacy laws in BC. An estate planning lawyer from Westcoast Wills & Estates can provide guidance and assistance in navigating the probate process.