Sarnia Wills and Estate Lawyers

In order to ensure that your last wishes are carried as you intend them to be, it is important to work with a Sarnia wills and estate lawyer. By doing so, you can take proactive, decisive steps to ensure your family’s financial security after your death and make specific arrangements for the distribution of your estate.

At Cohen Highley LLP, our wills and estate lawyers serving Sarnia provide cost-effective, efficient, and reliable service to members of the local community making important decisions about their affairs. In addition to creating wills and estate planning, our Sarnia wills and estate lawyers provide a broad range of services to address estate-related legal matters.

The people who require the services of a Sarnia wills and estate lawyer are often grieving the loss of someone very close to them. At Cohen Highley LLP, we appreciate that these matters often involve heightened emotions, interpersonal or familial conflicts, and sensitive subject matter. Our wills and estate lawyers serving Sarnia prioritize our clients’ emotional and financial well-being, and provide important legal support and advice to people mourning the loss of a loved one. 

To review your situation with our Sarnia wills and estate lawyers and learn how we might be able to provide you with assistance, contact Cohen Highley LLP. 

Estate Administration

Estate trustees (previously referred to as “executors”) have a great deal of responsibility. In addition to taking on the obligation of settling a person’s affairs, estate trustees who were related to the deceased or had a close relationship with them often are required to undergo a great deal of work while grappling with the emotional impact of their loss. 

As a general rule of thumb, estate trustees are typically expected to wrap up a deceased person’s estate within one year of their death. Completing all of the tasks involved in accordance with various deadlines can be challenging, especially while navigating your own grieving process. 

People who have been designated to wrap up a deceased person’s estate can face numerous administrative and interpersonal challenges, especially if disputes among the beneficiaries cannot be resolved amicably. Without working knowledge of wills and estate administration, probate procedures, filing deadlines, and other specific procedures, estate trustees might find themselves overwhelmed by the amount of work required of them. 

That is why, if you have been designated an estate trustee, working with our wills and estate lawyers serving Sarnia might be hugely beneficial to you. At Cohen Highley LLP, we pride ourselves on providing clear advice and critical support to estate trustees throughout the process of wrapping up a deceased person’s estate. 

Our Sarnia wills and estate lawyers are committed to helping members of the local community through the often complex, confusing, and emotionally challenging process of wrapping up an estate. To learn more about how our wills and estate lawyers serving Sarnia might be able to help you, contact Cohen Highley LLP.

Estate Litigation

Disputes amongst beneficiaries can be turbulent. Oftentimes, these conflicts occur within the context of familial relationships, and deal with deeply personal emotions. Many cases of estate litigation involve family members, romantic partners, business partners, beloved friends, or other people who had close relationships with the deceased. In these unfortunate circumstances, a person’s profound grief over their loved one’s loss can worsen, especially if they feel they have been forgotten or deliberately slighted. Given the sensitive and emotional nature of these circumstances, our Sarnia wills and estate lawyers understand the importance of listening to our clients and fighting to protect both the financial and emotional well-being of the people we represent. 

People who create a will are known as “testators.” Many testators go to great lengths to carefully consider how their property will be divided fairly amongst their beneficiaries. However, some beneficiaries may feel dissatisfied, ignored, or purposely excluded from a testator’s plans. In these difficult circumstances, concerned beneficiaries might wish to contest the will. 

In order to do so, beneficiaries must be able to prove that they have legitimate cause to call the will into question. The legal grounds for contesting a will are outlined in the province’s Estates Act. A person may be able to contest a testator’s will if:

• The will is considered invalid because it was unsigned, or no witnesses were present at the time it was executed.
• There is proof that the will was created under duress, undue influence, or while mentally incapable of making sound decisions.
• Evidence exists to suggest that the will is fraudulent or has been falsified. 
• A previously created, valid will is now void because of a subsequent marriage later in life.
• Sudden changes to the will were made later in the testator’s life after a remarriage. 
• And more

Estate litigation can be a long, emotionally draining, and expensive process. However, at Cohen Highley LLP, we believe our clients’ voices deserve to be heard. Our Sarnia wills and estates lawyers always attempt to resolve disputes as quickly, sensitively, and cost-effectively as possible. 

To review your situation with our wills and estate lawyers serving Sarnia, call Cohen Highley LLP and schedule a consultation.

Estate Planning

No one likes to imagine themselves facing end of life challenges. However, by making plans for the worst-case scenario now, you can make sure your voice is heard should a difficult situation arise in the future. By designating powers of attorney for both your property and personal care, not only will you officially grant decision-making responsibilities to someone you trust, you could protect your family members from unnecessary conflicts. 

A designated power of attorney for property is someone who has the authority to manage your finances should you become incapacitated or otherwise unable to do so. A designated power of attorney for personal care will be able to carry out your wishes regarding medical treatment, living arrangements, and end of life care should you become mentally incapacitated or incapable of expressing your opinions. 

By working with our Sarnia wills and estate lawyers, you can make important decisions about powers of attorney and clarify your wishes about how your property will be divided after your passing. While estate planning might seem like an onerous task, it is something that can be completed efficiently and inexpensively with the assistance of our wills and estate lawyers serving Sarnia. 

Talking about death can be uncomfortable for many people. As such, people tend to delay estate planning. But life can be unpredictable, and if you die before creating a will, instead of having a say in how your assets will be divided, your estate will be distributed according to the system outlined in the province’s Succession Law Reform Act. While this regulatory process takes close family members into consideration when dividing an estate, if a person has not created a will and has no next of kin, their estate will become the property of the provincial government. 

The only way to truly ensure that your last wishes are carried out the way you have intended is by creating a valid will. Our Sarnia wills and estate lawyers strive to deliver friendly service, candid advice, and clear communication to clients preparing for their family’s future. 

To schedule a consultation with our wills and estate lawyers serving Sarnia, contact Cohen Highley LLP today.

Book a Consultation with Our Sarnia Wills and Estate Lawyers

At Cohen Highley LLP, our wills and estate lawyers serving Sarnia have extensive experience assisting members of the local community with a wide range of matters. These include (but are not limited to):

• Probate applications
• Designating powers of attorney
• Directives
• Removing an executor from a will
• Challenging a will
• Estate fiduciary duties
• Passing of accounts
• Settling the estate
• Estate trustees
• Identification and valuation of assets
• Guardianship matters
• Beneficiary matters
• Certificate of Estate Trustees
• Guiding executors
• Charitable trusts
• Investment properties and other investments
• And more

To discuss your situation with Cohen Highley LLP and learn how our Sarnia wills and estates lawyers might be able to provide you with assistance, call our local office today.