WESA for Family Lawyers 2014


Course Date: October 17, 2014

Welcome and Introduction

Michelle L. Isaak — Davis LLP, Vancouver
Anna Laing — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver

Separation

  • what constitutes “separation” in the family law context
  • what are the consequences of separation under WESA
  • strategic planning: when, from an estate perspective, does it make sense to initiate a separation

Anna Laing — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver
Helen H. Low — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver

Legal Proceedings

  • what happens to a family law proceeding when a party dies
  • who can give you instructions
  • options under new Probate Rules

Nikki Charlton — Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP, Vancouver
Sally Dennis — Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP, Vancouver

Networking Break

Children

  • testamentary and standby guardianship
  • estate issues related to posthumous births
  • use of gametes after a prospective parent dies

Lauren A. E. Blake — Davis LLP, Vancouver
Michelle L. Isaak — Davis LLP, Vancouver

Lunch with Featured Speaker: "Listening for Dementia"

Peter S. Silin, MSW, RSW, CCC — Principal, Diamond Geriatrics and Elderpost.com, Vancouver

Wills, Beneficiary Designations, and Support Obligations: Still Strange Bedfellows?

  • beneficiary designations under WESA: irrevocably yours
  • vital provisions: securing child support through life insurance and wills
  • lessons Julie Ladner taught us
  • no rest for the weary: should spousal support be binding on the estate

James D. Baird — Boughton Law Corporation, Vancouver
Heather Dale — Boughton Law Corporation, Vancouver 

The Incapable Spouse

  • what level of capacity is required to
    • become a spouse
    • separate/divorce
  • who can provide instructions on behalf of the incapable spouse
  • how to spot undue influence—guidance from WESA
  • support for the incapable spouse under the FLA in the absence of an intention to separate
  • is there a role for mediation

Emily Clough — Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP, Vancouver
Jesse L. Desilets — Schuman Daltrop Basran & Robin, Vancouver

Networking Break

Fraudulent Conveyances

  • when is the inter vivos estate plan liable to attack under the FLA
  • lessons from Mawdsley v. Meshen and Easingwood v. Cockcroft et al

Candace Cho — Onyx Law Group, Vancouver
Judith A. Janzen — Onyx Law Group, Vancouver