Estate Planning and Administration Legal Assistance for Property in Multiple Jurisdictions
Estate administration becomes highly complex when assets, in particular real property, are located in more than one jurisdiction. At the Toronto, Ontario, law firm of O'Sullivan Estate Lawyers we can assist you in administering cross-border estates and can provide cross-border estate planning legal help.
At O'Sullivan Estate Lawyers, we have experience in assisting clients in highly intricate cross-border estate planning and estate administration and have acted on many estates involving multi-jurisdictional assets. We take a five-step approach in evaluating each client's estate planning situation:
- Review and evaluate our client's net worth and related entities, including an assessment of assets and liabilities to accurately determine the nature and extent of all ownership interests
- Determine the location of all property interests in all jurisdictions and review relevant documents, accounts, trust agreements, life insurance policies, business records, beneficiary designations and more
- Review and evaluate the current estate planning structure (or create one)
- Review and evaluate all contractual and other obligations which may affect the estate, or create obligations on death, including buy-sell agreements, separation agreements, cohabitation agreements, marriage contracts, court orders, potential dependents' claims and potential forced heirship claims
- Review the client's and beneficiaries' backgrounds, habitual residences, citizenships and domiciles
Firm founder Margaret O'Sullivan is a leading Toronto estate planning lawyer, practicing estate planning and probate law exclusively since 1983. She is the author of the Canada Chapter on International Succession Laws and has spoken and written extensively on multi-jurisdictional succession issues, multi-jurisdictional will planning, and chaired the Ontario Bar Association committees on the Hague International Conventions on Trusts and on Succession.
Also engaged in trust and estate work at O'Sullivan Estate Lawyers are Susannah Roth and Claudia Sgro. Ms. Roth has practiced trust and estate law since being called to the bar in 2002, has spoken and written on various subject areas in trust and estate law and is a member of the Ontario Bar Association Trusts and Estates Executive Committee and the Council of the Ontario Bar Association. Ms. Sgro graduated with distinction from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, receiving academic awards in tax, estate and trust law. She is a member of the Trusts and Estates Section of the Ontario Bar Association, and a student member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.
We act for many clients with cross-border connections to Canada and the United States who require special expertise in their will and estate planning. Succession planning involving cross-border issues and estate administration involving assets and connections to multiple jurisdictions and their transfer is highly complex. For qualified and experienced legal help in a boutique, client-focused setting, contact the Ontario cross-border estate planning and administration lawyers of O'Sullivan Estate Lawyers at 888-365-6235.
