Dear Valued Client,

As the holiday season approaches, I thought it would be a great opportunity for me not only to wish you the very best over the holidays and into the new year, but to bring you up to date on changes that have been happening in my practice over the past several months.

When I first started practising law nearly 30 years ago, I had a hunch I might be 20 years ahead of my time in selecting the estates & trusts area as the focus of my legal career. That hunch came true as the demand for estate legal services has never been greater. Obviously, the wealthy and aging baby-boomer population has fuelled this tsunami of new clients, but so too has the shortage of legal professionals in this practice area and the changing dynamics in the marketplace. Some of these changing dynamics include: 

• The laws have changed and become more complicated;
• Asset classes have grown and have come to require subject-matter expertise;
• The global footprint of my client’s wealth is so much broader;
• The family dynamic has dramatically changed, with a greater number of marriages ending and more and more blended families emerging;
• The increasing prevalence of dementia and financial abuse among the elder population; and
• A more litigious next-generation population, infected with a new disease called “entitle-itis”. 

It’s no wonder the growth in estates law is predicted to outpace every other area of law over the next 20 years!

Today, my Estates & Trusts team is one of the largest in province. Below is a bio of this illustrious group. While the team has grown, so too have the demands on my time managing this team.  There is simply not enough time in the day for me to meet with all my clients, both new and returning. I am still struggling adjusting to this change as it is the personal interaction side of the profession that has always been most appealing to me. However, if I am to continue to properly serve the legal needs of my clients and do it in the most cost-efficient way possible, my transition away from most of the day-to-day hands-on file work to more of a general manager and counsel to my team was a necessary change. Rest assured; my team consults me regularly on planning and drafting issues that they feel require my input.

Please know that if you were recently referred to me, or you are one of my returning clients, that if I have assigned your file to a lawyer on my team, that you are in very capable hands and, at the end of the day, I am here to ensure your experience was a positive one. If you are not pleased with advice or service you are receiving with them, then I welcome you to contact me directly at [email protected].

I appreciate your continued loyalty and support.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!!