Wills & Estate Planning In Belleville, Ontario
It’s never too early to prepare for the future. Although Wills and estate planning often get a reputation for being morbid activities, they don’t have to be as unpleasant as many people assume they will be. Likewise, following the instructions of a loved one after they’ve passed away can be a seamless experience if you choose the right person.
At Jeffrey Murray Law, we’ll listen to your unique needs and circumstances to come up with a customized plan. We’re a proud part of Belleville, so nothing is more important to us than minimizing the pain and stress involved in this difficult process for members of the local community.
Wills
Your Will is possibly one of the most important documents you’ll ever make. At Jeffrey Murray Law, we appreciate your need to understand the implications and consequences of every little detail, so we’re more than happy to go at your pace.
We can also draw up a Secondary Will for you as part of probate planning to help avoid unnecessary fees.
Powers of Attorney
Alongside creating a Will, we can help you arrange Power of Attorney for your property, personal care, or both. This spares your family unnecessary expenses and stress after you become ill, because a document exists to specify who is entitled to (and responsible for) what.
Alternatively, if a loved one has Power of Attorney, we can walk you through your newfound role to ensure you’re complying with their wishes and the law.
Corporate Retirement
When you own a business, it can be tough to say goodbye — but knowing that it’s in safe hands and all legal processes are in place just makes things that bit easier. We’ll help you carry out succession planning to ensure your legacy can live on and your family benefits from your hard work.
Special Needs Planning
Everyone is different, and your estate planning should reflect that. If you have a family member with special needs who has been left an inheritance, they can protect their eligibility for disability benefits by using special programs such as Henson Trusts.
Estate Deed Transfers
The process of transferring assets after someone passes away can often get complex, even with a solid Will in place. There are many cases when a beneficiary may want to transfer estate deeds to someone else or make a Survivorship Application to transfer the deceased’s property to their own name, for instance.
At Jeffrey Murray Law, we can help with various estate deed transfers in Belleville to ensure you get the outcome you want while complying with the law.
Estate Probate Applications
Applying for probate can be tricky, but it’s necessary for most assets, including real estate within Ontario, shares, and vehicles. Although it’s possible to file the application without a lawyer, working with a skilled professional boosts your chances of a swift, successful application.
Wills - FAQs
Welcome to our Wills FAQ page. Here you can find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about our services, including what you need to bring to your first appointment, virtual options, document storage, and pricing.
We are required to verify your photo ID (ie: Driver’s License, Passport). Please make sure it is not expired.
Please also bring your completed Wills Questionnaire.
If you have a Will that was previously prepared by another firm, a separation agreement, marriage contract or a mutual wills agreement, please bring that as well.
We offer you the convenience of taking your instructions virtually but, with some exception, we prefer that the signing appointment be done in the office.
While we appreciate that you may need assistance getting to/from our office, we do need to meet with you alone, or with spouses –only, during the instruction appointment. This is to ensure your confidentiality is being maintained and to facilitate an open communication process.
Typically we retain the original signed Will and at least one original signed Power of Attorney for Property & Personal care. However, we understand that each situation is unique and we can discuss your document retention concerns with you directly during your initial instruction appointment.
Before considering how your Estate is to be divided, it is helpful to have a record of what your assets include. It also allows us to provide the best possible estate planning advice.
That is fine. Our lawyers will go through the questionnaire with you to fill in any gaps and answer any questions.
Please contact us and we would be happy to offer you a quote.
Estates - FAQs
If you are wondering what to bring to your first estate appointment or have questions about the estate process, we have compiled a list of frequently asked questions to help guide you.
We are required to verify your photo ID (ie: Driver’s License, Passport). Please make sure it is not expired.
Please also bring your completed Estates Questionnaire, the original Will of the Deceased (if available), a Death Certificate and any financial statements of the Deceased that you may have in your possession.
We offer virtual instruction and signing appointments. However, we require hard copies of the original Will and Death Certificate. If you elect to meet with us virtually, we will request that you forward the original Will and Death Certificate of the deceased to our office via courier or in-person drop-off.
Our office can be retained to probate a Will prepared by our office or by another law firm. We can assist you in collecting the original Will from another law firm, if necessary.
Our firm offers competitive rates based on the nature of the file. In particular, rates depend largely on whether or not the Deceased had a valid legal Will at the time of their passing. Please feel free to reach out to our office to obtain a direct quote specific to your situation.
There is no set timeline for obtaining a probate certificate.
The length of time depends on two factors: when you provide us with complete Estate information; and how long the Court takes to issue the Certificate once our application has been completed.
The sooner that you are able to provide us with complete Estate information, the sooner the application can be prepared. However, once the application has been submitted to the Court,
the return time for the Certificate is out of our hands. We should be able to provide you with a general estimate return time based on the jurisdiction in which the application is submitted.
No. The beneficiaries do not need to attend your appointment.
You will communicate directly with beneficiaries throughout the estate administration process, with our guidance. If any of the beneficiaries retain their own legal counsel, we will communicate directly with their lawyer, as needed.
Beneficiaries are entitled to receive a full copy of the Will if they are named as residual beneficiaries in the Will. If the beneficiary is to receive a specific bequest, they are entitled to receive the portion of the Will that pertains to them directly.
The timing of when to release this information is matter-specific and can be discussed with the lawyer in greater detail during your intake appointment.
There are often a number of steps that need to be completed in the administration of an Estate prior to distributing beneficiary funds.
As Estate Trustee, you are responsible for ensuring that the Estate is properly administered before distributing funds to beneficiaries.
Our lawyers can guide you on how and when to respond to these types of inquiries.
Yes. Please give our office a call for matter-specific details, and guidance.
No. Please give our office a call for matter-specific details, and guidance.
If a probate application needs to be filed for the Estate, it must be filed in the jurisdiction where the Deceased last resided.
However, our firm is equipped to file probate applications and administer Estates in jurisdictions across Ontario.
You can feel free to use our services regardless of where the Deceased lived. Similarly, we offer virtual appointments and electronic signatures, where permitted, to assist you in administering an Estate regardless of where you may live.
If you live outside of Canada, there may be additional steps to complete in becoming appointed Estate Trustee.
Please give our office a call for matter-specific details, and guidance.
A Clear Way Forward
Our priority is to help you to navigate the legal process in a clear and relatable way.
Jeffrey Murray