Overview
Michael’s practice focuses on estate planning, estate administration, and matters directly related to these areas of the law.
His experience includes the resolution of complex issues in estate administration with cross-border, multijurisdictional, and litigious aspects. Michael regularly advises executors, trustees, attorneys, and guardians on their duties and obligations.
He has also worked with a variety of entrepreneur and family office clients, and their professional advisors, to develop tailored estate plans with well-considered estate strategies to achieve each client’s unique family succession needs.
In effecting various estate plans, Michael has drafted wills, powers of attorney, trusts, and domestic contracts, with an emphasis on minimization of income tax and estate administration tax (probate fees).
Michael holds the Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) designation from the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).
Prior to joining O’Sullivan Estate Lawyers LLP, Michael was an associate at a mid-sized regional law firm where he specialized in wills, estates, and trusts.
Michael is a former President of the Chess Federation of Canada and, in his spare time, enjoys both playing the royal game and serving as an International Arbiter in events sanctioned by the World Chess Federation (FIDE). In 2015, he was recognized with an Ontario Volunteer Service Award for 15 years of service to the Ontario Chess Association. More recently, he was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow by The Rotary Foundation.
Professional Activities
- Member, Ontario Bar Association
- Member, Canadian Bar Association
- Member, Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Canada
- Secretary, York Region Law Association
- Founding President, Estate Planning Council of York Region
- Tutor (Solicitors’ Exam – Trusts and Estates), Law Society of Ontario
- President-Elect, Rotary Club of Markham-Unionville
Presentations
2025
- April 16, 2025, Michael von Keitz will present “Essential Considerations for Cross-Border Estate Planning and Administration,” at the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) Conference Centre, from 1 to 4pm.
Recent
- Nicholas André and Michael von Keitz presented “End of Life and Estate Planning” on October 28, 2024, at Shepherd Village Community Hall, in Toronto.
- Michael von Keitz and Nicholas André presented “Conflict of Laws: Property Considerations” for JTEP, on October 21, 2024.
- The O’Sullivan Team presented a 1-hour webinar, “It’s Complicated: Estate Planning and Administration for the Modern Family,” on March 27, 2024, through London, U.K.-based legal publisher Mondaq.This webinar assisted in identifying key issues advisers and their clients need to know about including: cultural intelligence and multijurisdictional expertise; challenges of blended families; evolving definitions of “parent,” “child,” “issue,” and “spouse”; obstacles and conflicts when wills and trusts cross borders; and gender identity and fluidity and its impact on estate planning and drafting.Case studies were used to illustrate how these problems and issues arise and solutions to deal with them.To access the March 27, 2024 webinar recording, click here.To view the PowerPoint presentation for the March 27, 2024 webinar, click here.
- Michael spoke on “The Interplay of Domestic Contracts and Family Law with Estate Planning” at the Southwestern Ontario Chapter of STEP Canada, hosted virtually on May 25, 2021.
Publications
2025
- LAW360 Canada, Wills, Trusts & Estates. “The duty to account in trust reporting: A cautionary tale,” on February 19, 2025.
- Investment Executive, “AI can speed up uncontested probate applications: lawyers,” on February 4, 2025.
2024
- LAW360 Canada, Wills, Trusts & Estates, “The future of AI and probate applications,” on November 29, 2024.
- LAW360 Canada, Wills, Trusts & Estates, “The use of registered disability savings plans in estate law,” on September 20, 2024.
- LAW360 Canada, Wills, Trusts & Estates, “Estate and third-party claims in accidental drowning,” on August 13, 2024.
- LAW360 Canada, Wills, Trusts & Estates, “Unsolved murder: Perfect crime against perfect trustee,” on July 11, 2024.
- LAW360, Wils, Trusts & Estates. “RRSPs: Their consequences for estates, beneficiaries,” on May 30, 2024. This article was originally published by LAW360, part of LexisNexis Canada Inc.
- LAW360, Wills, Trusts & Estates. “Limits of testamentary freedom” on March 21, 2024. This article was originally published by LAW360, part of LexisNexis Canada Inc.
- LAW360, Wills, Trusts & Estates. “Four important 2023 court of appeal estate decisions, and ‘Case of the Year’” on February 15, 2024. This article was originally published by LAW360, part of LexisNexis Canada Inc.
- LAW360, Wills, Trusts & Estates. “Trustee discretion: Where absolute does not mean unfettered” on January 19, 2024. This article was originally published by LAW360, part of LexisNexis Canada Inc.
