Best Lawyers in Canada for Trusts and Estates
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Nikki Hildebrand, a partner with our private wealth, trusts and estates team, concentrates on estate planning, trusts and incapacity matters, with a focus on family business succession planning and corporate reorganizations. She has a deep understanding of complex estate planning and works with clients and their advisors to develop and implement comprehensive and tailored estate plans that meet each family’s unique circumstances and needs, including preparing wills, powers of attorney a...
Andrew Valentine's charities and non-profit law practice focuses on providing advice to organizations on issues including gift planning, incorporation and registration, ongoing compliance matters, and audits. Andrew also deals extensively with non-profit corporate governance and corporate structuring issues, advising on corporate restructuring, directors' duties and liabilities, governance best practices, bylaws and policies, and membership disputes. Andrew also has expertise in social enterp...
Eleanor is a partner at Carbert Waite and chair of the Trusts and Estates group. She is a recognized wills and estates lawyer who takes a forward-thinking approach to the practice of estate law. From personal estate planning to navigating high-conflict estate disputes, Eleanor is committed to empowering her clients during the legal process. Eleanor has obtained the Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) designation by STEP Canada, which demonstrates her advanced understanding of the trust and es...
Andreea Muth has a general corporate and commercial law practice, with a focus on business owner estate planning. She advises business owners and private corporations on the structure and implementation of corporate reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions, as well as comprehensive business succession planning. This includes will and estate planning, and the use of family trusts. Combining her unique blend of corporate/commercial law and estate planning experience, Andreea sets up structures...
Rebecca Studin is a partner at de VRIES LITIGATION LLP. Before joining the firm, Rebecca practised estates and commercial litigation at a full-service international law firm in Toronto. Rebecca acts for clients in respect of a broad range of estates matters, including will challenges, will interpretation and rectification applications, contested guardianship and power of attorney disputes, complex probate applications, and contested passings of accounts. Rebecca obtained her law degree from O...
Lucy E. Main advises Canadian and international clients on a wide range of estate and trust matters, including drafting estate planning documents, establishing private charitable foundations for individuals and families, helping with the administration of estates, assisting in the setting up and maintenance of trusts and providing support to litigators in contentious matters. In 2016 she was awarded the Hoffstein Book Prize by the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) for her contributions to these a...
Lorne Greenspoon is a top lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Lorne, 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 A. Lorne is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area. A. Lorne Greenspoon is a Partner in the Tax & Wills & Estates Group at Robins Appleby LLP. With over 40 years’ ex...
Michael works exclusively with the social impact sector, advising charities, not-for-profit organizations, associations, professional bodies, clubs, and social enterprises. With 15 years’ experience, Michael advises sector organizations on a variety of tax and legal matters: Creation: Incorporation and structuring, charity registration applications, organizational start-up. Tax Compliance: Obligations under the Income Tax Act, including charitable purposes and activities, granting, fund...
Debra Stephens is Counsel to WEL Partners and practices exclusively in the following areas: Passing of Accounts, Guardianship, Fiduciary appointments and representation, Estate administration and Mediation. She was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1982. Her practice initially focused on family, estate, trust and guardianship issues. Since 1998 she has specialized in estate litigation, administration and planning. Debra has worked in private legal practice for most of her career. Prior to joini...
Estate planning and administration can often put individuals in positions where they are required to make difficult decisions. Michael is passionate about helping individuals work through their options by simplifying complex legal principles to ensure that the decisions they do make are well-informed ones. Michael can also analyze all sides of a sensitive situation to identify effective options for advancing our clients’ interests. Services Trusts Wills Business succession Estate and Tr...
Gary has been practicing as a lawyer for more than 20 years and is the managing partner of Kirk Montoute Dawson LLP. Gary also has extensive training as a Mediator and has participated in numerous Mediation, Arbitration and Judicial Dispute Resolution hearings. In addition to the practice areas of Wills and Estates, Mediation and Family Law, Gary is also an experienced litigator. He has appeared before all levels of Court in Alberta. Currently, Gary’s practice is focused primarily on Es...
Victoria Winter is a partner in the firm’s Trusts and Estate Planning Group and a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) as designated by the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). Victoria practises in the areas of estate planning and succession including the preparation of Wills, Powers of Attorney and Trusts (domestic, international, Henson), corporate reorganizations, business succession planning, advising clients on methods in which to minimize income tax and estate adminis...
Frank Walwyn is known for his resourceful approach to litigating some of the most challenging business cases in Canada and the Caribbean. Frank is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and is repeatedly named as one of Canada’s top lawyers in the area of Corporate and Commercial Litigation in The Best Lawyers in Canada , Who’s Who Legal , Benchmark Canada, the Guide to Canada’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys , and The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory , am...
Executive Summary Jim is a member of the Non-Profit and Charities and the Tax and Estate Planning Groups. He has extensive experience advising clients in areas of personal tax, corporate tax, estate planning, wills and trusts, estate administration, charities and not-for-profit organizations, including planning for charitable donations. He assists clients in resolving complex disputes with tax authorities at both federal and provincial levels. On behalf of the CBA, Jim has prepared numerous s...
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.