Total 135 Posts
Today’s blog was written by Jonathon Vander Zee, student-at-law at de VRIES LITIGATION LLP The original copy of a last will and testament is lost and cannot be found… now what? Losing an original copy of a will does not necessarily mean that it is no longer legally binding or invalid. Where a copy of the original will exists, a party may make an application to the court to have….
Under the Declaration of Death Act, the court will make the order declaring that an individual has died if the individual disappeared in circumstances of peril or the individual has been absent for seven years…..
Gone. Now what? Continue Reading »
Estate Administration and Probate Applications, In the News
Where the evidence establishes that the testator executed the will in accordance with the requisite formalities (e.g., signed in the presence of two witnesses), a rebuttable presumption arises that the testator knew and approved the contents of the will…..
The Continuing Importance of the Presumption of Due Execution Continue Reading »
Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Litigation, Executors, Family Conflict, WillsToday’s blog is written by Jessica J. Butler, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP. Italian cinema legend Gina Lollobrigida passed away at the age of 95 in January 2023. Known by fans as ‘La Lollo’, she starred in over 60 films which included the likes of Frank Sinatra and Sean Connery. Gina’s legacy includes a past fraught with disputes considered to be some of the most common and ‘classic’ wills and….
The Life and Legacy of Gina Lollobrigida – An Estates Perspective Continue Reading »
Capacity Law, Contested wills, Elder Care, Elder Law, Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Family Conflict, International, Testamentary Capacity, Undue influence, Wills
Today’s blog was written by Christopher Cook, Student-At-Law at de VRIES LITIGATION LLP In some common law jurisdictions, there exists a fascinating (but rarely applied) legal doctrine called “patent mistake.” This doctrine applies in the context of applications for probate. When asked to probate a will, the court’s task is to determine whether the will in question really is the deceased’s last will and testament. Naturally, this inquiry requires the….
Facts, Mistakes, and Probate Continue Reading »
Contested wills, Estate Administration, Estate Administration and Probate Applications, Estate Litigation, Estate Planning, Executors, Fiduciary Professions, Succession Planning, WillsGoing through the records of a deceased person is an important task for the executor and can be a huge undertaking, particularly when the individual held on to everything. Sometimes, a search of the deceased’s records reveals surprising new assets. What should an executor do when they discover evidence that the deceased held shareholdings in a public company in the form of share certificates? It has become less common to….
