William J. "Bill" Fowlis KC, FCA

William J. "Bill" Fowlis KC, FCA


Miller Thomson LLP

Recognized since 2006

Calgary, Alberta

Practice Areas

Corporate Law

Tax Law

Trusts and Estates

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Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2015 - Tax Law
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Bill Fowlis, QC, FCPA, FCA, TEP is a lawyer, a Chartered Professional Accountant/Chartered Accountant and Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP). He is also a Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA) certificant. With this complementary professional background, Bill focuses on taxation, corporate, trust, succession, and estate planning law for privately owned businesses, corporations, and high net worth individuals. His practice covers merger and acquisition transactions with a focus on private corporations and dealing with taxation authorities on contentious matters on behalf of his clients.

Bill was appointed King’s Counsel and awarded a Fellow of the Chartered Accountants (FCA) designation in 2014.

Bill was the national leader in tax law for Miller Thomson from 2008-2015 and was the Firm’s national lead for corporate tax until 2017. He has been a partner at Miller Thomson since 1988 and was the Calgary office Managing Partner and a member of the Firm’s National Executive Committee from 2000-2006.

Bill was named Lawyer of the Year for 2015 in the area of tax law for Calgary by The Best Lawyers in Canada list in addition to being listed by Best Lawyers in Canada in the areas of tax law, trusts and estates and corporate law. Bill is also listed in the Canadian Lexpert Legal Directory as one of Canada’s leading tax practitioners in the areas of estate and personal tax planning and corporate tax and in the Chambers High Net Worth Guide in the area of Private Wealth Law. Bill is recognized in Martindale-Hubbell Directory with an AV Preeminent Rating

Bill has been an active member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and was Chair of the Calgary branch and a Director of STEP Canada from 2008-2010. Bill served on the Board of the Calgary STEP branch and chaired the STEP Canada Awards Committee for many years. Bill was a member of the panel of 2015 judges for the STEP Private Client Awards, which celebrate global excellence in private client practice. In 2015, Bill received a STEP Founder’s Award in recognition of his outstanding voluntary contributions to STEP. From 2017 to 2022, Bill served as an elected representative of STEP Canada on the STEP Worldwide Council. He is also currently the Chair of the STEP Worldwide Governance Committee.

Bill is an accomplished speaker and writer. He has presented numerous papers on tax topics at conferences, written articles for many publications, and been a frequent lecturer for income tax courses for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta.

Bill is a member of the Canadian Tax Foundation, Canadian Bar Association, Entrepreneurial CPA’s of Calgary Society, Conference for Advanced Life Underwriting (CALU) (Associate Member) and The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law.

Bill is a member of the editorial board of Miller Thomson on Estate Planning, a leading Canadian publication on tax and estate planning.

Location
  • 525 - 8th Avenue S.W., 43rd Floor
    Eighth Avenue Place East
    Calgary, AB T2P 1G1
    Canada
Bar Admissions
  • Alberta, 1987
Affiliations
  • Family Enterprise Xchange - Member
  • Canadian Bar Association - Member
  • Canadian Tax Foundation - Member
  • Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta, 1980 - Member
  • Conference for Advanced Life Underwriting (CALU) - Associate Member
  • Entrepreneurial CPA's of Calgary Society - Member
  • International Academy of Estate and Trust Law - Member
  • Law Society of Alberta, 1987 - Member
  • Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, 2000 - Member

Miller Thomson LLP
Headquarters: Toronto, Ontario

157 The Best Lawyers in Canada awards

15 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Canada awards

Law Firm of the Year Badge Visit Website View Firm Profile

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2015 - Tax Law
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
  • Tax Law, Calgary, Canada (2015)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada 2024 for work in:
  • Corporate Law
  • Tax Law
  • Trusts and Estates
Awards:
  • Appointed Queen's Counsel, 2014
  • Awarded an FCA, 2014
  • Received STEP Founder's Award, 2015
  • •The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Corporate Tax, Estate & Personal Tax Planning, 2008-present
  • •Recognized by Best Lawyers®, Lawyer of the Year, Tax Law, Calgary, 2015
  • The Best Lawyers in Canada©, International Trade and Finance Law, Tax Law, Trusts and Estates, 2010-2017
  • •Martindale–Hubbell Directory, AV Preeminent rating
  • Recognized by Chambers High Net Worth Guide

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Publications

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