Author: Bibiane Bijsterveld

Congratulations

We are pleased to offer our congratulations to Legacy alumna, Amy Francis, who was elevated from the Supreme Court of British Columbia to the British Columbia Court of Appeal on November 17, 2025. Madam Justice Francis was appointed to the British Columbia Supreme Court in March of 2019, after 13 years of a successful estate litigation practice with the firm. We wish Madam Justice Francis every success in her new role and are confident that her thoughtful approach and commitment to excellence will serve British Columbians well.

Estate and Charitable Gift Planning

Nicholas P. Smith and Stephanie Shi

Trusts are a useful tool for designing an estate plan that works within the constraints imposed by law and each client's unique set of circumstances. To view the full paper, click here.

British Columbia’s Land Owner Transparency Act

Laura M. Peach, Alistair G. Campbell and Peter Mennie

On November 30, 2020, British Columbia’s new Land Owner Transparency Act, S.B.C. 2019, c. 23 (“LOTA”) came into force. New applicants registering an interest in land may be required to file a Transparency Report setting out information about the applicant and the interest holders of real property. LOTA also requires most trustees, corporations, and partnerships that own land to file a Transparency Report before November 30, 2021. (1) What is LOTA? LOTA requires the registered owner of real property to report individuals with an indirect interest in land (i.e., ownership held through a corporation,…

The Case of the Complex Children

Christine M. Muckle

The Case of the Complex Children - Slides - Final The Case of the Complex Children - Paper - Final

BC Speculation and Vacancy Tax: Surprises for Non-Residents and Trustees

Laura M. Peach

Laura Peach, “BC Speculation and Vacancy Tax: Surprises for Non-Residents and Trustees”, Canadian Tax Focus, Vol. 9, No. 2 (May 2019).  

Acquisitions of Control and the Effective Use of Corporate Losses

Nicholas P. Smith

Acquisitions of Control and Effective Use of Corporate Losses

U.S. Expatriation and Other Cross-Border Planning Tools

Cheyenne Reese and Christine M. Muckle

U.S. Expatriation and Other Cross-Border Tools - CLEBC Estate Planning Update - 2018 - v.2 CLEBC - US Expatriation Slides

Proactive Drafting Tips for Trusts in Family Law

Andrea Frisby and Genevieve N. Taylor

  https://www.legacylawyers.com/wp-content/uploads/PBLI-2015-Proactive-Drafting-Tips-for-Trust-in-Family-Law.pdf

QSBC Shares and the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption

Ian Worland

  https://www.legacylawyers.com/wp-content/uploads/QSBC-Shares-and-the-Lifetime-Capital-Gains-Exemption.pdf

Legal Considerations for Death and Incapacity

Genevieve N. Taylor and Christine M. Muckle

INTRODUCTION This paper identifies the building blocks of an estate plan that are necessary to ensure a client’s financial and health care wishes during life, as well as the disposition of his or her assets on death, are accomplished in a way that is beneficial not only to the client, but also to those individuals that are to benefit from the plan. Issues to be considered by a good plan include tax, probate avoidance, privacy, dispute minimization and efficiency. Important to understanding a good plan is both appreciating the planning options available and also the consequences of having no plan. 1.      …