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Wilson Rasmussen LLP

Whether you need help with contracts, buying property, or planning your estate, we’re here to support you.

Wills & Estate

Wills and Estates Lawyer in Surrey, BC

Speak with us about your will or estate needs.

An estate issue may require attention if you are unsure how British Columbia law applies. Without clear advice, deciding what to do next can be difficult.

At Wilson Rasmussen LLP, we explain your options plainly and tailor our approach to your circumstances. Our wills and estates lawyer in Surrey, BC, advises on lifetime planning and handles legal work required after a death.

When You Need Estate Advice in Surrey

Our wills and estates lawyer in Surrey, BC, can assist in situations such as:

An outdated plan: Your will no longer reflects your family circumstances or property ownership arrangements.
An executor role: You need to understand the authority and responsibilities that follow a death.
An unclear gift: The will does not identify how particular property should pass.
A challenged document: Someone questions whether the will reflects the deceased’s genuine intentions.

The appropriate response depends on the document and your legal role.

Why Choose Wilson Rasmussen Law firm in Surrey

Shape an Estate Plan Around Your Instructions

Through estate planning, we discuss your choice of executor and intended gifts. We then draft precise will terms that record those choices.

Our wills and estates services also include powers of attorney for financial affairs and representation agreements for personal or health care decisions. For each client, we explain every document’s role and how the different appointments interact.

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Navigate Probate and Administration Duties

During estate administration, an executor may need a grant of probate before an institution accepts the will as proof of authority. We prepare the required notice and court materials for filing, then explain how the application moves through the probate process.

After liabilities and tax matters are addressed, the estate must be distributed in accordance with the will and applicable law. Throughout this process, we help executors maintain clear records and avoid premature transfers.

Address Estate Disputes in Surrey

Estate litigation may involve testamentary capacity or undue influence. Other claims may challenge an executor’s conduct or seek to have a will varied under British Columbia law.

For the clients we represent, we carefully review evidence and applicable deadlines before advising whether negotiation or court proceedings are appropriate. Because we also advise executors, we consider how the dispute may affect their ongoing duties.

Work With a Firm Grounded in Estate Law

Our firm has served local communities for more than 30 years and maintains a full-service legal practice in British Columbia. We draw on Partner Robin Jawanda’s estate practice. His earlier work at a national firm focused on commercial real estate and financing.

An initial conversation allows our legal team to understand your estate matter before explaining the next steps available to you. When you are ready, review our estate law contact options to choose how you would like to reach us.

Discuss Your Will or Estate Needs

If family arrangements are changing, you may also need help with certain aspects of family law. A wills and estates lawyer in Surrey, BC, can then assess whether those changes call for an estate document review.

Call Wilson Rasmussen LLP at (604) 583-7917 to discuss your estate planning or administration needs and arrange a consultation.

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Wills and Estates FAQs

If you’d like to speak with us directly, call us at:
What is probate?

Probate is having the court establish that a Will is valid.

$200.00 on the first $25,000.00
$6.00 per $1,000.00 on the next $25,000.00
$14.00 per $1,000.00 or part thereof on assets over $50,000.00.

If you die without a Will in BC, the Wills, Estates, and Succession Act sets out who will be the beneficiaries of your estate. It depends on who is in your family to determine who will receive what in BC: spouse and children receive first, if there is no spouse or children, then grandchildren take, then parents, if no parents, then brothers and sisters, etc. The estate goes to the government only if there are no nieces and nephews.

The cost to probate a Will will vary depending on the size and complexity of the estate. We offer a free initial consultation to obtain all the facts to enable us to provide you with a fee estimate.
Please note that the quotes are for simple Wills. Our fee changes for more complicated Wills where special drafting is required (ie: discretionary trusts for children with disabilities, or if you plan to exclude a legal spouse, partner or child (even if an adult) from the distribution of your estate). Of course, GST (5%) and PST (7%), photocopies and the cost of filing Wills Notices are added to our accounts as shown in the second column.
A Power of Attorney is a document wherein you can appoint someone to take care of your financial affairs. It is not a health care document in British Columbia. The Power of Attorney, unless an enduring Power of Attorney, ceases on the incapacity of the donor.
An enduring Power of Attorney is a document wherein you can appoint someone to take care of your financial affairs. It carries on after your incapacity. The enduring Power of Attorney survives any mental infirmity on your part.
Living Will is a health care directive that expresses your wishes with respect to whether or not you want any “heroic measures” to keep you alive. A Living Will can be helpful to your loved ones when making difficult end of life decisions.
A Representation Agreement is a document wherein you can appoint someone to make decisions about your financial matters as well as your health care decisions.
An enduring Power of Attorney should be considered even if your assets are held jointly because you have no signing authority for the other joint tenant in a property transaction without being appointed as an attorney under a power of attorney or appointed as a representative under a representation agreement. The property will pass to the surviving joint tenant on death but the joint tenancy itself gives you no power to sign for the other joint tenant while he or she is not capable and alive.
If you did not plan for incapacity by making an enduring Power of Attorney or a Representation Agreement, someone can apply to be your Committee under the Patients Property Act. This is a court application whereby two doctors must swear affidavits to attest to your incapacity and the Public Guardian and Trustee must be notified.
Generally speaking, you should review your Will every five years. If there are substantial changes in your life; births, deaths, change in financial circumstances, then your Will should be reviewed at that time.