Overview
Nicholas’ practice focuses on estate planning, estate administration, and advising executors, trustees, beneficiaries, and attorneys for property and for personal care, as well as matters directly related to these areas of the law.
As an estate planner, Nicholas takes time to ensure that clients understand, in clear and simple terms, options and strategies applicable to their individual situation. He frequently advises on multiple will and testamentary trust planning, complex distributions, and charitable gifting strategies to achieve each client’s unique family succession needs.
Nicholas’ estate planning is greatly informed by his estate litigation experience where he has acted in matters involving will challenges, dependent relief claims, power of attorney challenges, and passings of accounts. This practical experience has also resulted in Nicholas’ calm, collected, and strategic approach to contentious estate administration issues and dispute resolution matters.
Nicholas is often retained by executors, trustees and attorneys for property or care to advise and assist them in carrying out their duties and obligations as they undertake these complex roles, as well as beneficiaries to advise them on their rights and guide them in understanding the intricacies of the estate administration process. He is skilled at preparing court applications, whether with or without a will to obtain probate, passing accounts, and provides fiduciaries with practical guidance in administering an estate or managing the affairs of an incapable person.
Nicholas is currently completing the Diploma Program of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Canada.
Prior to joining O’Sullivan Estate Lawyers LLP, Nicholas articled and practiced for several years at a boutique wills, estates, and elder law firm.
Outside of work, Nicholas, enjoys catching the latest movie with a special appreciation for the horror genre, concerts, trivia nights, and planning his next scuba diving excursion.
Professional Activities
- Member, Ontario Bar Association
- Student Member, Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Canada
Presentations
Upcoming
- March 27, 2024
The O’Sullivan Team will present a 1-hour webinar, “It’s Complicated: Estate Planning and Administration for the Modern Family,” through London, U.K.-based legal publisher Mondaq.This webinar will assist 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 will be used to illustrate how these problems and issues arise and solutions to deal with them.
Time: 11 a.m. to 12 noon EST / 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. UTC
Registration is complimentary; click here.
Recent
- Ontario Bar Association presenter, Make-a-Will Month: The Fundamentals of Wills and Powers of Attorney – November 2022
- Ontario Bar Association Elder Law Day Conference, Commentary on Joy Estate v McGrath: Cost Orders in Estate Litigation – June 2022
- Co-author, “Elder Abuse: A Familiar But Often Misunderstood Term” for the Ontario Bar Association Elder Law Section – October 2021
Publications
2024
- LAW360, Wills, Trusts & Estates. “Benefits of a separate situs will or power of attorney’” on April 5, 2024. This article was originally published by LAW360, part of LexisNexis Canada Inc.
- LAW360, Wills, Trusts & Estates. “New associate at O’Sullivan,” on March 26, 2024.