Best Lawyers in Canada for Trusts and Estates

Sheila practices in all areas of estates and trusts litigation, and has built a reputation as a skilled and tenacious advocate. Based on her expertise in this area, her peers have repeatedly elected her one of the Best Lawyers in Canada. Sheila is pragmatic, and clients value her knack for getting to the heart of an issue, and providing results-driven and cost-effective legal advice. Sheila acts for individuals and their families, trust companies, financial institutions and charitable organiz...

Thierry joined Martel Cantin's team in the summer of 2004 and began his articling at the Bar. He interrupted this internship to obtain a Master's degree in taxation from the University of Sherbrooke in 2006. He was sworn in in 2007 and has been working at Martel Cantin since then. Mr. Thierry is a recognized expert in Canadian taxation and corporate law. His expertise is focused on serving small and medium-sized businesses in Québec and their managers with the objective of optimizing t...

William (Bill) Fowlis, KC, FCPA, FCA, TEP is a lawyer, a Chartered Professional Accountant/Chartered Accountant, and a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP). With this complementary professional background, Bill focuses on taxation, corporate, trust, succession, and estate planning law for privately owned businesses, corporations, family enterprises and high net worth individuals. Bill is considered to be one of the top legal professionals practicing in these areas of law in Canada. His practic...

Helen Low, KC is the leader of Fasken’s Wills, Trusts, Estates and Charities Group in BC. She assists clients with contentious disputes regarding wills, trusts, inheritances, powers of attorneys and elderly and incapable family members, as well as estate planning for both simple and complex estates with a goal to avoid post-death disputes. She has been litigation counsel on a broad range of cases, including: challenges to estate plans; variation of wills and trusts; abuse of powers of a...

Sarah Fitzpatrick’s practice focuses on the areas of charities and not-for-profits. She provides general advice to these clients, to assist them in carrying out their missions and mandates. Sarah counsels charities and not-for-profit clients on governance matters, tax and regulatory compliance, social enterprise and gift planning. She also assists clients with general corporate legal matters including major business contracts, transactions and restructuring. Sarah's practice is recogniz...

Stéphanie Tremblay is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law and Trusts and Estates. Stéphanie, who practices law in Montréal, Quebec, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Stéphanie is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jeff's practice is dedicated to estate planning, estate administration, trusts, charities and not-for-profits. Jeff advises clients on all aspects of estate administration and estate planning. Jeff counsels executors and trustees on administering estates and trusts and helps beneficiaries understand their rights. Jeff has extensive experience in developing tailored estate plans and drafting wills, powers of attorney, representation agreements, trusts and related planning documents. Jeff is a ...

Lori advises both domestic and international clients on a broad range of tax matters. She has extensive experience in business structuring, corporate reorganizations, pre-sale and divestiture planning, business succession planning, executive and employee compensation, immigration/emigration, trusts, and estates. Corporate, institutional and individual clients turn to her for clear, actionable guidance on complex tax matters. Known for translating intricate tax rules into practical, tax-effici...

Darlene N. Wingerak, K.C. is a partner with Robertson Stromberg who maintains a general practice including corporate and commercial transactions, employment law, wills and estates, and acting as a mediator and adjudicator. Darlene obtained a Bachelor of Law degree (with distinction) in 1992, achieving the highest standing on the Saskatchewan bar exam in 1993 and receiving the Academic Excellence Award. Prior to attending law school Darlene earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Univers...

Kay Leung is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law, Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Kay, who practices law in Toronto, Ontario, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kay is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Gail Black’s tax-based private client services practice focuses on trusts and estate planning and administration including Wills, substitute decision-making, various trusts, charitable planning and probate matters. As an active member of both the BC and Alberta Law Societies, she also advises on cross-provincial estate planning and administration matters. Working with US counsel, she assists clients on the tax-effective planning and administration of estates with US components including...

Pamela is a tax partner who focuses her practice on taxation, estate and trust planning, tax dispute resolution and voluntary disclosures of unpaid taxes. She regularly advises individuals and family enterprises on estate planning, including complex situations involving multi-jurisdictional assets or beneficiaries, philanthropy and gift planning. Pamela also advises both Canadian and international clients on taxation issues relating to establishing and operating business and investment struct...

Nicole Garton, TEP, is an Associate Counsel at Lindsay Kenney LLP. As President of Heritage Trust , Nicole leads a regulated financial institution offering executor, trustee, power of attorney, escrow and multi-family office services on behalf of BC resident clients. Nicole is the Past Chair of the Canadian Bar Association Wills and Trusts Subsection (Vancouver). Nicole is a member the Society of Estate and Trust Practitioners (STEP), the Estate Planning Council of BC, the BC Collaborative Ro...

Alex specializes in matters related to capacity, guardianship, and power of attorney. He has often been appointed as counsel for individuals alleged to be incapable in high-conflict capacity-related disputes, showcasing his dedication to the rights of vulnerable individuals. Alex serves as the co-CPD liaison for the Elder Law Section and is a member-at-large of the OBA Trusts and Estates Section Executives of the Ontario Bar Association. Additionally, he is an active member of the Mental Heal...

Crystal is a partner at the Felesky Flynn Saskatoon office. She practices in all areas of personal and corporate tax, with a focus on owner-managed business and succession planning. Crystal’s commitment to excellence has not gone unnoticed. She has been recognized by her peers in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada™ for her outstanding work in Tax Law, Trusts and Estates, and Corporate Law—a testament to her high-caliber practice and dedication to her clients. Cry...

Aaron has a diverse practice with a focus on Wills, Trusts, and Estates. He has extensive experience in estate planning, administration, and dispute resolution. His practice also includes business law and real estate law. Aaron is a recognized thought leader in the application of The Surrogate Rules and complicated court applications, which helps him generate positive, timely results for his clients. He shares his knowledge with colleagues and the public through teaching and speaking roles. C...