Family
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June 20, 2024
Inheriting assets: Balancing wealth and family dynamics
A recent legal decision surrounding the death of the founder of the prominent Onni Group, DeCotiis v. DeCotiis Estate, 2023 BCSC 2163, highlighted how important it is for families to use diverse planning strategies to safeguard assets and to keep out of expensive legal disputes.
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June 20, 2024
Bill C-71 corrects many historic citizenship wrongs | Don Chapman
Bill C-71, An Act to Amend the Citizenship Act (2024) is the result of a Charter challenge ruling on Dec. 19, 2023, by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, in a lawsuit against the government by several affected Canadian families (Bjorkquist et al. v. Attorney General of Canada, 2023 ONSC 7152). The successful outcome was the result of legal arguments by the plaintiff’s attorney and wrenching personal stories presented to the court, including in-depth and historically solid research. The result? The Canadian Citizenship Act is not Charter-compliant as it violates the constitution by discriminating against first-generation born-abroad Canadians and women.
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June 19, 2024
International family mediation
Family disputes are often complicated by complex emotional and financial considerations. The complexities can escalate into particularly stressful ordeals when family issues cross international borders. Fortunately, the flexibility that the mediation process allows can empower parties to resolve challenging international family disputes in an expedient way and at a lower cost than litigation.
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June 18, 2024
Nunavut turns to public in bid to fix child protection system
Family welfare officials in Nunavut are inviting residents to weigh in on developing an “action plan” to fix the territory’s troubled child protection system.
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June 14, 2024
2 Pushor Mitchell articling students promoted to associates
Pushor Mitchell LLP recently announced the addition of two new associates to its team. Leah Sorge and Colin Grimard were both called to the B.C. bar in 2024 and completed their articling at Pushor Mitchell.
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June 14, 2024
Providing value to the difficult client | Jacob Murad
Many lawyers (myself included) over the course of any practice, run into issues withdrawing from representing and terminating a difficult client. (A recent example of this was when Peter Nygard’s defence lawyer asked to be removed as his counsel just before his sentencing for sexual assault, reportedly due to a “breakdown and loss of confidence in the solicitor-client relationship.”)
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June 13, 2024
New asset freezes, entry bans & export prohibitions target Russian war of aggression against Ukraine
Canada has aimed new sanctions and export prohibitions at participants in Russia’s military-industrial complex, in a co-ordinated move with other countries on the first day of the G7’s three-day summit in Italy.
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June 13, 2024
Federal government announces expansion of early retirement eligibility for some front-line workers
Ottawa has announced plans to introduce legislative changes this fall to expand early pension eligibility for specific front-line workers, including federal border services officers and federal and territorial firefighters.
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June 13, 2024
Wealth advising for the future: The new paradigm
I am an estate lawyer. As such, how many times have I said under my breath as my clients have exited the boardroom after an often lengthy, revealing, intense and always interesting meeting: “I don’t need a law degree — I need a psychology degree!”
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June 12, 2024
2 new associates join McCarthy Hansen
McCarthy Hansen & Company LLP recently announced the addition of two new associates in family law: Irene Petrakis and Sophia Dales.