When someone in BC dies with over about $30,000 in their own name, the executor of their will usually needs to bring the will to court to obtain probate. The same basic process applies where there is no will, but this time the “executor” is called the “administrator.” The duties of an executor can often be overwhelming. Our probate lawyers can help as much as needed, including:
- Advising on the estate administration process – we can lay out every step of the process for you
- Advising on the validity of a will
- Drafting and filing probate or administration documents with the Court
-
Drafting and sending standard letters to banks, government agencies and other relevant
organizations - Locating the deceased’s assets
- Locating the deceased’s next-of-kin
- Liaising with tax accountants regarding the final T1 and the subsequent T3 tax returns
- Filing a wills notice search and a notice to creditors
- Helping the executor determine what is an appropriate executor fee
- Helping the executor present their accounts to the beneficiaries
- Drafting and sending all the necessary correspondence and releases to the beneficiaries or heirs prior to the distribution of the estate
- Passing the executor’s accounts before the court
If you are an executor who would like the advice of a probate lawyer, contact us – we’d be glad to help.
Why hire a probate lawyer?
Some of the executor duties like going to banks, funeral home, Service Canada are labour intensive, but can be done without prior experience. Applying to the Supreme Court however, is not something that easy to do on the first attempt. It’s like replacing a transmission in a car. Anyone can do it, but it will take a lot of time, patience and mistakes along the way if you haven’t done it before. But for car mechanic who specializes in changing transmissions, they get it done right and quickly the first time. We are a team of probate lawyers who focus on probate applications. We get your estate through the court system as quickly and efficiently as possible.
We also help guide executors though the whole estate administration process, which typically lasts between one and two years. We routinely receive calls and emails from our executors on any one of ten thousand quirks that can happen during this time. Because we focus on this area of law, we’ve probably seen it before and can give sage advice to these executors.
See our blog for more reasons to hire a probate lawyer.Questions about probating a will in BC and estate administration? See our Probate FAQs.
