Wills, Estates & Estate Planning
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Do You Have a Will?
Are You Confident in Your Estate Plan?
Talk to Our Powell River Lawyers.
Villani & Company offers comprehensive estate planning services for individuals and families throughout Powell River and surrounding areas, including drafting of wills, powers of attorney and representation agreements. We can personalize your estate plan to perfectly reflect your unique needs and circumstances. With our help, you can manage your estate during your lifetime and plan for your family’s future.
Writing a Will
While many are familiar with the concept of a will, expert consultation and planning when writing your will can help ensure that your actual intent is carried out. A will is a written document that provides instructions for your executor and ensures your family and beneficiaries know your wishes. A will describes how your estate should be distributed and explains the powers given to your executor to handle the details of your estate. A will is also an important document for families with young children as you can name a guardian to care for your minor children after your death.
Powers of Attorney
If you become temporarily or permanently incapacitated, a power of attorney can be invaluable. A power of attorney appoints a person to act on your behalf in financial and legal matters. Our lawyers can discuss your individual needs and help tailor a power of attorney to fit your specific situation. You will appreciate the peace of mind that comes from thoughtful, appropriate pre-planning.
Representation Agreements
Healthcare decision making can be stressful, especially when families are unsure of your wishes and uncertain about who should make decisions. We can prepare a representation agreement for you; you can choose who will make decisions about your care should you become unable to act for yourself.
Trusts
A trust is an agreement for a trustee to hold assets on behalf of a beneficiary or a group of beneficiaries for the benefit of the beneficiaries. The trustee has an obligation to carry out specific duties with regard to the assets or has been given specific powers affecting the disposition of the assets for the benefit of the beneficiaries. We can provide assistance with trust-related matters including:
Committee Appointments
A committee is a person appointed by court order to manage the financial estate and personal affairs of an individual who has been found to be incompetent and unable to manage their own affairs by two medical doctors. If you have a family member or loved one who is in need of a committee, our lawyers can prepare a committee application and obtain a court order appointing a committee.
Estate Administration & Probate
Handling an estate on one's own can be complicated and overwhelming. We can help with all aspects of estate administration, including determining what steps need to be taken, ascertaining assets, preparing and filing applications for administration or probate, paying creditors, distributing estate assets, accounting for executor and estate expenses and closing estates. Villani & Company can also assist in the transfer of property to surviving joint tenants.
Estates Litigation
In times of personal tragedy, such as the illness, injury, or death of a loved one, family and estate disputes ("estate litigation") sometimes flare-up. Emotions are raw, and old grievances may be reopened. As a result, estate litigation can be emotional and painful.
Estate litigation may arise when a person's rights or property gets transferred to a spouse or from one generation to the next. Estate litigation may occur among members of the same family.
Why Trust Us?
Because the resolution is our goal.
Resolving estate litigation disputes is our goal at Villani & Company. Doing so in a way that respects family relationships, minimizes suffering, and mitigates legal expenses requires us to balance family dynamics with justice and equity.
We help families in crisis find a resolution to their estate litigation disputes quickly and cost-effectively. We also look to foster the reconciliation of family relationships.
Wills Disputes:
Have you been cut out of a will?
Were you promised something from a deceased loved one's estate that you did not get?
Has your common-law spouse died without a will or without leaving you anything?
Estate Disputes:
Has a loved one died without a will (called an "intestacy")? And is there a dispute as to who will administer the estate?
Are you accused of doing something unlawful with an estate?
Are there missing estate assets?
Does an estate owe you money?
Trust Disputes:
Is the trustee not doing what the trust requires?
Are trust assets not being managed properly?
Has the trustee lost money for the estate?
Is the trustee not spending trust money properly?
Power of Attorney:
Is the attorney personally benefiting from acting under the power of attorney?
Is the attorney harming the person who granted the power of attorney?
Elder Law:
Do you believe that you see evidence of emotional, physical or financial abuse?
Has a loved one become unable to care for him or herself, or his or her finances and property?
Has there been any unusual activity in the accounts or with the property of a vulnerable person or a person with diminished mental capacity?
Speak to a Lawyer Experienced in Wills & Estates Administration
Get legal advice and service from a Powell River estate planning lawyer — call Villani & Company, today! We’re local, so home and hospital visits are available.