Blog Posts

Introduction Cultural traditions play a significant role in shaping family dynamics and inheritance practices across communities. For example, it’s well-known that many cultures tend to exhibit a preference for sons over daughters in various aspects of family life, including inheritance. When these traditions conflict with the principles of equality and fairness enshrined in Canadian law, […]

Background Justice Douglas refused to prejudge a wills variation claim on an interim application. In Rivers v. DeVouge, 2022 BCSC 2267, John Richter successfully defended an application brought by the plaintiff wife. The deceased husband prepared a new will and created an alter ego trust shortly before he died. He transferred many of the assets […]

In Parker v. Martin, 2017 BCSC 446, a chiropractor was injured while backing out of a parking stall. While he stopped to let a pedestrian walk by, another pickup truck that was also backing up bumped into his vehicle. Although it was a low speed accident, the plaintiff was injured as a result. The plaintiff […]

Recently a Vancouver judge made it  clear which antics he thought were too much in divorce court. We have blogged on this site before about the importance of legal advice and what to avoid when presenting the court with affidavit evidence here and here. In the recent case of Zandbergen v. Craig, Justice Smith was […]

Recently Vancouver family lawyers were reminded that not only parents but also step-parents may be responsible for supporting their step kids after divorce. In EZ v. PZ, 2017 BCSC 375, Justice Baird heard a case in which the mother and purported father were married at the time that the mother gave birth to a child […]

People always assume it is a good idea to put property or bank accounts in joint names with their spouses. They buy a house where they will live, and they put it in joint tenancy. They open a bank account so they can pay their bills, and they put it in joint names. Often, people […]

Common questions that people have in British Columbia estate law include: “Is a draft will legal” or “binding” or “valid”? This article attempts to give some guidance on how to answer those questions. In British Columbia, for a will to be valid, it must meet the requirements found in Section 37 of the Wills, Estates […]

Spousal support orders are made on three bases: Compensatory. To compensate a spouse for their role in the relationship and sacrifices they made during the relationship for the betterment of the spouses’ lives. Non-Compensatory or Needs-Based. To ensure that one spouse does not suffer the consequences of sacrifices made during the relationship more than the […]

Mr. Justice Skolrood of the BC Supreme Court has ordered that  he can step in where necessary and require parents to sign a consent form for Nexus passes. In Pasco v. Pasco, 2016 BCSC 2484, the mother lived in White Rock and the father was unwilling to provide consent for her to travel cross-border for […]

Watch this video posted on Facebook by the Daily Mail which shows that a new car could save your life in an accident: Crashing cars What a 1997 car crash looks like compared to now! Posted by Daily Mail on Saturday, February 4, 2017 This video posted on Daily Mail’s Facebook page shows how driving […]

In BC, the Family Law Act and Wills, Estates and Succession Act define the term spouse by reference to the term “separation”. Under WESA, section 2 provides that spouses cease to be spouses as follows: If they are married, on separation as it is considered under the FLA; or If they are living in a common […]

Deciding whether to get a divorce can be stressful. It is often the most stressful time in your life. How will you pay your bills? What will you get in the divorce? What about the kids? Where will you live? What does your new life look like? All of these questions are often floating around […]

There’s nothing worse than dealing with a bad executor after the death of a loved one. They have all the control and as beneficiary you have all of the rights, or so you’re told. But what if they just won’t be reasonable? They say they’re going to tie up the estate up years. They are […]

Maestro Maestro is an interactive touchscreen program used with a big-screen television that has enhanced the way personal injury lawyers present evidence to injuries that cannot be seen by the eye. The user controls diagrams, documents and pictures on the television by swiping his/her fingers across the screen. The control includes cropping, highlighting and sweeping […]

Last year, the Associated Press released a three-part series on which jobs are being lost to new technology. Their research found that nearly all of the disappearing jobs are not low-paid, low-skilled positions, but rather reasonably-paid, traditionally middle-class professions including lawyers, loan officer and more. While jobless recovery and new technological advancements pose a more immediate […]

The goodfirm ICBC personal injury lawyers want to draw attention to a recent personal injury case in which ICBC was ordered to pay special cost for failing obey a court order to disclose the existence of surveillance footage. In Norris v. Burgess, 2016 BCSC 1451 (CanLII), a plaintiff was injured in a motorcycle accident. After […]

  Suffering from Invisible Pain. Sixteen year old Elisha Singh was travelling with her mother and father when she and her parents were hit while crossing the intersection at 92nd Avenue and 152nd Street in Surrey. It was boxing day and the family was returning home very early in the morning. Elisha was sleeping in […]

Richter Trial Law, the goodfirm ICBC personal injury lawyers want to draw attention to a recent $4.8 million dollar award been handed down from the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Hans v. Volvo Trucks North America Inc., 2016 BCSC 1155 over a truck accident involving electrical failure on a long haul truck and serious psychological […]

Coming into force on March 2013, the Family Law Act, SBC 2011 c 25 (“FLA”) dramatically changed the family law landscape in British Columbia. In addition to reducing the amount of judicial resources spent determining family property and debt under the former act, the goal of the new legislation is to make the law simpler, […]

Divorce and relationship breakdown is hard on everyone involved. While it is hard on the spouses, it is especially difficult on any children involved. People often do and say things that they are not proud of when their lives are in turmoil. Just one of the reasons that divorce is especially difficult for parents (and […]