Best Lawyers in Canada for Trusts and Estates
Select a location from the list below to find the best legal talent for your needs.
Province
Ray Adlington is an experienced lawyer well versed in all areas of tax law. He has a robust practice with particular focus on corporate tax, commodity tax, and tax dispute resolution with the Canada Revenue Agency on behalf of taxpayers. Ray is a past four-year member of the joint Canadian Bar Association – CPA Canada Joint Committee on Taxation tasked with advising the Department of Finance (Canada) on tax policy and legislative drafting matters. He acts as counsel to private and publi...
Paul is passionate about helping his clients “make life less taxing". A partner with Taylor McCaffrey LLP and a member of the firm’s tax law group, Paul’s practice is focused on taxation and related corporate/commercial matters including owner-manager tax issues and trust and estate planning. Active in his profession, Paul maintains membership in the Canadian Tax Foundation and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and is the past chair of the Tax Subsection of the M...
Linda is a partner at Torkin Manes and chairs the firm's Not-for-Profit and Charities Law practice group. She counsels a wide range of not-for-profit organizations and charities (including charitable organizations and private and public foundations). Her clients include professional and industry associations, self-regulated bodies and organizations in such fields as religion, health, education, social services, poverty abatement, childcare, athletics and recreation.Linda acts as external gene...
David Thompson received a B.Comm (1979) and LLB (1983) from the University of British Columbia. He was called to the bar in 1984 and has practiced exclusively in taxation matters since 1985. David is a registered trust and estate practitioner certified by the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. David was a governor of the Canadian Tax Foundation. David is noted as a leading Canadian tax lawyer based on peer-review ratings in Lexpert and in Martindale Hubell. He is noted as a leading Ca...
Polly is a partner practicing in the areas of Estates & Trusts and Elder Law. She regularly assists clients in resolving contentious estate, trust, and elder law issues involving significant and emotional personal matters, and with estate and incapacity planning to provide certainty and peace of mind for the future. She has appeared before the Courts in British Columbia and before the Supreme Court of Canada. Polly excels in providing thorough and detailed analysis of complex legal issues...
Curtis is a partner at Carbert Waite LLP, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and Co-Chair of the firm’s Commercial Litigation Practice. Curtis has extensive experience in a wide variety of commercial litigation and arbitration matters, including international arbitration and litigation, defamation, and estate litigation. His clients include multinational corporations, energy companies, construction companies, family-run businesses, and individuals. He also acts for US and...
Brittany Sud’s practice focuses on estates and trusts, including both planning and administrative matters, as well as taxation as it relates to those areas. Brittany has developed and implemented cohesive estate plans for clients, reflecting their financial objectives and both short and long-term goals. She advises high net worth individuals, entrepreneurs and professionals on probate planning, income tax deferral and minimization strategies, family business succession planning, disabil...
Marni Whitaker is a partner practicing with Loopstra Nixon’s Wills, Trusts & Estates and Business Law groups. Marni has extensive experience in all aspects of estate planning and administration including drafting and giving opinions on wills, powers of attorney, trusts, corporate reorganizations associated with estate planning, personal tax advice, advice and documentation relating to the Family Law Act , administration of estates, estate accounting problems, work for charitable and...
Tara Britnell is the Co-Chair of the Estate and Trust Litigation department. She assists clients with the complete range of complex and challenging estate and trust cases, including undue influence and capacity claims, adult guardianship, construction and variation of wills and trusts, contentious estate administrations, and the identification and prevention of elder abuse. Tara’s clients include executors, trustees, beneficiaries, people disappointed in a Will and those concerned about...
Jennifer Searle is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Jennifer, who practices law in Toronto, Ontario, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jennifer is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Lynne O'Brien is a litigation lawyer based in Toronto. She has a broad commercial litigation and advisory practice in the areas of financial services, corporate governance, insolvency, securities regulation and fraud.Lynne also practises estate litigation, providing advice on a range of issues, including will challenges, dependent support and guardian applications, contested passing of accounts, estate administration and disputes involving trusts.She frequently conducts investigations for cli...
Dwight Dee, TEP, has a business law and estates and trusts practice with a focus on private client services. Dwight works with individuals and families in the areas of estate and incapacity planning, trusts, succession planning, and elder law matters. Dwight also has extensive experience in all aspects of business law. Dwight regularly assists clients with the preparation of wills, enduring powers of attorneys, family trusts, alter ego and joint spousal trusts, and healthcare representation a...
David Chernos is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Alternative Dispute Resolution, Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Trusts and Estates. David, who practices law in Toronto, Ontario, has been recognized since 2012. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which David is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Jim is both a lawyer and a Chartered Professional Accountant, CA. Prior to attending law school, Jim qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Touche Ross (now, Deloitte), an international firm of Chartered Accountants in Montréal, Quebec. He began his legal career in Calgary in 1981 with Ballem McDill & MacInnes (now, Gowling WLG). Prior to joining Carbert Waite LLP in 2007 as Associated Counsel, Jim practiced tax and corporate law with the Calgary office of the national law firm, ...
Rachel Goldman Robinson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Rachel, who practices law in Toronto, Ontario, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Rachel is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.