Estate Planning

Whether you are young or old, the importance of having a will in place should not be underestimated. I work with my clients to understand their estate planning goals and to ensure they make informed

 decisions.

I have a focus on estate planning around rural and cottage properties. In my opinion these properties warrant extra care and attention to ensure that your estate plans can help future generations of heirs to continue to enjoy these properties.

After your passing, a properly drafted will can ensure that:

• Your wishes are honoured;
• Your executors are of your choosing;
• Your estate passes to your intended beneficiaries;
• Conflict between surviving family is minimized;
• Tax costs are avoided or reduced; and
• Probate is avoided or made more straightforward.

Estate Administration

When a family member passes away, we recognize it is a difficult time and we want to help. At the outset, we conduct an intake with you to review the will (if any), determine whether you are a named executor or an appropriate estate trustee, and identify what work will be required to administer the estate. We review the estate assets with you to determine whether or not probate is required. Probate is the process in which an executor named in a will, or, when there is no will, a family member or friend of a deceased, applies to the court for a Certificate of Appointment of Estate Trustee.

We routinely prepare probate court applications for estate trustee clients, send out the necessary notices to interested parties, and file the mandatory Estate Information Return with the Ministry of Finance. Once a Certificate of Appointment is received from the court, we help our estate trustee clients realize the assets of the estate. For instance, we help ensure bank and investment accounts are redeemed and closed, life insurance policies paid out, and that real estate is transferred to beneficiaries or sold to third parties.

I practice in the area of Corporate and Contract Law. Some of the services I may be able to help you with include:

• Incorporations in Ontario and Canada
• Not-for-profit incorporations and registrations
• Other corporate formations
• Drafting Partnership and Shareholder Agreements
• Contract drafting and review
• Maintaining corporate books/corporate record keeping
• Business Sale/Purchase

I act for a variety of the municipalities in the Parry Sound District in the area of municipal law. While the municipality is my client, should you have inquirires related to your purchase of shore road allowance lands, please reach out to my clerk Rebecca Scott directly who can be reached at rebecca@prichardlaw.ca or 249-988-0015.

We offer a variety of notarial and commissioning services, including:

• Affidavits
• Statutory Declarations
• Certified True Copies
• Consent to Travel
• Invitation Letters
• Etc.

Please contact my paralegal Rebecca Scott directly at rebecca@prichardlaw.ca to arrange an appointment for notarization or commissioning documents.