Will & Estate Planning

Be prepared for life’s biggest changes

Estate planning is about more than deciding who receives your assets. It is about protecting the people you care about, ensuring your wishes are respected, and providing clarity during difficult times.

Major life events such as marriage, separation, the birth of a child, retirement, acquiring a business, or receiving an inheritance should all prompt a review of your estate plan. Even if your circumstances have not changed, estate planning laws and family dynamics often do.

Our lawyers work with individuals, families, business owners, farmers, and professionals throughout British Columbia to create estate plans that reflect their goals and circumstances. Whether you require a straightforward will or a more sophisticated succession and tax-planning strategy, we can help.

We will explain your options, review any existing documents, and prepare a plan designed to protect your interests and those of your loved ones.

Estate Planning Services

We regularly assist with:

• Wills and Dual Wills
• Enduring Powers of Attorney
• Representation Agreements
• Advance planning for incapacity & advance directives
• Beneficiary designations
• Joint ownership planning
• Estate administration planning
• Asset protection strategies
• Trust creation and planning, including:
  • Joint Partner and Joint Spousal Trusts
  • Alter Ego Trusts
  • Discretionary Family Trusts
  • Disability Trusts
  • Testamentary Trusts

Business & Succession Planning

For many clients, estate planning extends beyond personal assets.

We regularly assist with:

• Family farm succession planning
• Family business succession planning
• Preparing a business for sale or transition
• Corporate estate planning
• Beneficiary designations
• Planning for jointly held assets
• Multi-generational wealth transfers

Planning today can help avoid disputes tomorrow

Even with careful planning, disagreements can arise regarding wills, trusts, powers of attorney, executors, and estates. RDM’s Estate Litigation team regularly assists executors, beneficiaries, spouses, children, and other interested parties in resolving estate disputes throughout British Columbia.

Learn more about our Estate Litigation services here. 

Why Review your Estate Plan?

You should consider reviewing your estate planning documents if:

• You have married, separated, or divorced.
• You have welcomed a child or grandchild.
• An executor, trustee, attorney, or beneficiary is no longer appropriate.
• You have acquired significant assets or started a business.
• A loved one has become disabled or requires additional support.
• Your existing documents are more than a few years old.

FREE RESOURCES

Every family’s circumstances are different. Before meeting with one of our lawyers, we encourage you to gather information about your assets, family circumstances, and estate planning goals.

The following resources may help you prepare for your appointment:

• Estate Planning | Download
• Trusts | Download
• Preparing for Your Estate Planning Appointment | Download

Need Help Planning for the Future?

Every family, business, and estate is different. Whether you are preparing your first will, updating existing documents, planning for incapacity, or considering more advanced estate and succession planning strategies, our team can help.

We regularly assist individuals, families, business owners, and farmers throughout British Columbia with wills, powers of attorney, representation agreements, trusts, and succession planning.

Please contact our office at 604.853.0774 to schedule a consultation with a member of our Wills & Estate Planning Team.