Estate Lawyer · Vancouver, BC
Estate Lawyer Vancouver, BC
Estate law usually starts in one of three places: you are planning ahead, someone has died, or something has gone wrong.
You may need a Will that reflects your family and your wishes. You may have been named executor and now need to understand probate and estate administration. Or you may be looking at an inheritance problem, an executor dispute or a Will that does not seem right.
Those situations can involve very different legal questions. The useful first step is not to learn every part of British Columbia estate law. It is to identify which problem you are dealing with and what needs attention now.
Tim Louis has practised law in Vancouver since 1984 and helps clients across British Columbia with Wills and estate planning, probate and administration, Wills Variation and estate disputes.
If you already have a Will, probate documents, correspondence from an executor or estate lawyer, or another estate document connected to the problem, have it available when you call.
Quick answer
What does an estate lawyer do in British Columbia?
An estate lawyer can help at different stages of a person's life and estate. Before death, that may include preparing or updating a Will and coordinating documents such as a Power of Attorney or Representation Agreement. After death, an estate lawyer may assist an executor or administrator with probate, estate administration or an intestate estate. Where a dispute develops, the work may involve Wills Variation, Will validity, undue influence, executor problems or other estate litigation.
British Columbia's Wills, Estates and Succession Act governs many of the core rules involving Wills, intestacy, personal representatives and estate administration. The current Act includes provisions dealing with making a valid Will, distribution where there is no Will, probate and administration, Wills Variation and the responsibilities of personal representatives.
The legal service you need therefore depends less on the word “estate” than on the decision in front of you. Someone planning a Will has a very different problem from an executor applying for probate or an adult child questioning why they were disinherited.
Start here
Which estate problem are you dealing with?
Many people arrive at an estate lawyer knowing the facts but not the legal category. The first useful step is to identify which of these three paths fits the problem.
I am planning ahead
You may need to make or update a Will, appoint someone to deal with financial matters if you cannot, plan for personal or health-care decisions, or think through a family situation that does not fit a simple estate plan.
Someone has died
You may be the executor named in a Will, someone seeking authority to administer an estate where there is no executor, or a beneficiary trying to understand what should happen next.
There is a dispute
A family member may believe the Will did not make adequate provision for them. Someone may question capacity or undue influence. A beneficiary may be concerned about an executor, or several people may disagree about the estate.
If you know what has happened but are not sure which estate-law category applies, you do not need to diagnose it yourself. Tim can identify the legal route and what needs attention first.
Planning ahead
Estate planning is more than making a Will
A Will is one important part of an estate plan, but it does not answer every question that can arise during your lifetime or after death.
Wills
A Will can identify beneficiaries, appoint an executor and set out how estate assets should be distributed after death.
The planning becomes more important where the family structure is more complicated. A second marriage, children from different relationships, a beneficiary with a disability, unequal lifetime gifts, a family business, real estate or concerns about future conflict can all make a simple template less suitable.
Wills Lawyer VancouverEnduring Power of Attorney
An enduring Power of Attorney deals with financial affairs during your lifetime. Under the current BC statute, an attorney may be given general or specific authority over financial affairs, and the document can continue despite the adult's incapacity. The attorney cannot use that authority to make a Will for the adult.
That makes the Power of Attorney a different tool from a Will. One deals with financial authority while you are alive. The other directs what happens to estate property after death.
Power of AttorneyRepresentation Agreements
A Representation Agreement can address personal-care and health-care decisions. Depending on the type of agreement, it may also cover routine financial management or broader health and personal-care authority.
This is another reason I do not treat a Will as a complete incapacity plan. Financial authority, health-care decision-making and estate distribution are related, but they are not interchangeable.
Representation AgreementsTrusts and more complex planning
Some families may also need to consider trusts, ownership structures or other planning tools. Whether those are useful depends on the assets, the beneficiaries and what the client is trying to accomplish.
Trust Lawyer Vancouver| Document | Main purpose | When it operates |
|---|---|---|
| Will | Direct estate distribution and appoint an executor. | After death. |
| Enduring Power of Attorney | Financial and legal affairs within the authority granted. | During life. |
| Representation Agreement | Specified personal, health-care and related decision-making. | During life. |
Someone has died
Being named executor is the beginning of the job, not the end of the legal questions
When someone dies, the first issue is often authority.
If there is a Will
The executor's role can include identifying estate assets and liabilities, dealing with creditors, applying for probate where required, accounting to beneficiaries and administering and distributing the estate.
Probate should not be described as automatically required in every estate. Some assets or institutions may require a grant before they recognize the personal representative's authority, while other estate matters may be capable of moving ahead without one.
Probate Lawyer VancouverIf there is no Will
Where a person dies intestate, WESA determines who may apply to administer the estate and how the estate is distributed.
The details can depend on surviving spouses, descendants and other family relationships, so the Estate Lawyer hub should route those readers into a dedicated probate or intestacy discussion rather than reproducing the entire statutory distribution scheme here.
Intestacy in British ColumbiaIf the executor cannot or will not act
An estate can become more complicated where the named executor renounces, has died, cannot act or no executor was appointed.
WESA contains different routes depending on the circumstances, including administration with Will annexed and, in some cases, appointment of another person the court considers appropriate.
Probate and Estate AdministrationWhen there is a dispute
Not every estate dispute is a Wills Variation claim
A family may use the phrase “contest the Will” to describe several very different problems. Those legal routes can involve different standing rules, evidence, remedies and timing.
Wills Variation
A Wills Variation claim asks whether an otherwise operative Will made adequate provision for the Will-maker's spouse or children.
Wills Variation Lawyer VancouverWill validity
A validity dispute asks whether the document should operate as the deceased's Will at all.
That may involve questions such as testamentary capacity, execution or undue influence. Those issues are different from asking whether the distribution under an otherwise valid Will was adequate.
Contest a Will in BCExecutor or administration disputes
Sometimes the Will itself is not the main problem. The dispute may involve how the executor is administering the estate, accounting, delay, distribution or whether the personal representative should continue acting.
Estate Litigation in BCCompeting versions of a Will
Another dispute may involve several documents, an electronic Will, an earlier Will or a record said to alter or replace an existing Will.
That is a different question again, and it should route into the Will-validity or electronic-Will content rather than being forced into a Wills Variation framework.
Electronic Wills in BCEstate law decision map
Estate planning vs probate vs estate litigation
The same family may encounter all three at different times, but they solve different problems.
| If this is your situation | The legal area is usually | Typical questions |
|---|---|---|
| I am planning for my own future | Estate planning | What should my Will say? Who should act for me? Do I need a Power of Attorney or Representation Agreement? |
| Someone has died and I am dealing with the estate | Probate and estate administration | Who has authority? Is probate required? What are the executor's duties? What happens if there is no Will? |
| A family member disagrees with the Will or estate administration | Estate litigation | Is this Wills Variation, a Will-validity issue, undue influence, an executor dispute or another claim? |
Many people arrive at an estate lawyer knowing the facts but not the legal category. That is normal. The first useful step is to identify which of these three paths fits the problem before time and money are spent on the wrong process.
Consultation readiness
What should I bring to an estate-law consultation?
You do not need to understand the legal category before calling, and you do not need to assemble every document connected to the family. Start with the records closest to the decision in front of you.
How Tim identifies the right estate-law route
I first want to know whether we are planning, administering an estate, or dealing with a dispute
If we are planning, I want to understand the family, the assets and who the client trusts to act. A Will may be part of the answer, but so may an enduring Power of Attorney or Representation Agreement.
If someone has died, I want to see the Will if there is one, identify who is supposed to act, understand what assets are in the estate and determine whether probate or another grant may be required.
If there is a dispute, I want to identify the legal issue before we decide what to do about it. Is the problem inadequate provision? Capacity? Undue influence? The conduct of an executor? Several competing Wills? Those questions may arise from the same family conflict, but they do not all use the same legal test.
The first consultation is therefore not about forcing every estate problem into one category. It is about identifying the right category early enough to make a sensible decision.
Bring the documents closest to the problem and explain what has happened. Tim can identify the estate-law route, anything that may need prompt attention and what the next step should be.
Free consultation
What happens if you contact Tim?
-
01
Identify where you are in the estate journey
Are you planning ahead, dealing with an estate after death, or facing a dispute? That first distinction usually determines which documents and legal rules should be considered.
-
02
Review the documents closest to the problem
A Will, Power of Attorney, Representation Agreement, probate document or executor correspondence often provides the fastest route into the legal issue.
-
03
Identify the correct legal path
The matter may belong in Wills planning, probate and administration, Wills Variation, Will validity, undue influence, executor disputes or another part of estate law.
-
04
Identify anything that needs prompt attention
Some estate matters can be handled as part of normal planning. Others may involve a court process, estate distribution, statutory timing or an active family dispute.
-
05
Decide what makes sense next
Speaking with Tim does not commit you to litigation or to a particular planning structure. The purpose of the first review is to understand what kind of legal problem exists and what the practical options are.
Vancouver estate-law guidance
Why speak with Tim Louis about an estate-law problem?
Tim Louis has practised law in Vancouver since 1984. His estate-law work spans planning before death, probate and administration after death, and disputes involving Wills and estates.
His approach on this page is deliberately simple: identify the stage, start with the documents, determine which legal route applies, identify any timing or authority issue, and then decide what should happen next.
The first consultation should make the legal problem smaller and clearer, not more complicated.
Frequently asked questions
Estate law in British Columbia
What does an estate lawyer do?
An estate lawyer may help before or after a death. Before death, the work can include Wills, Powers of Attorney, Representation Agreements and related estate planning. After death, it can include probate, administration and executor issues. Where a dispute develops, the work can involve Wills Variation, Will validity, undue influence or other estate litigation.
Do I need a lawyer to make a Will in BC?
British Columbia law sets out requirements for making a Will, but not every person is legally required to hire a lawyer to prepare one. Whether legal advice is useful depends on the family, assets and planning issues involved.
Does every estate need probate?
No. Probate should not be described as universally required for every estate. Banks, agencies and other institutions can require probate before accepting a Will and transferring assets, while some may accept the Will without probate depending on their requirements and the circumstances.
What is the difference between an executor and an administrator?
An executor is normally the person named in a Will to carry out the Will and administer the estate. An administrator performs a similar estate-administration role but is appointed by the court where the applicable estate circumstances require it, including some situations where there is no Will.
What happens if someone dies without a Will?
Where a person dies without a Will, British Columbia's intestacy rules determine how estate property governed by those provisions is distributed, and someone may need to apply to administer the estate.
What is an enduring Power of Attorney?
An enduring Power of Attorney allows an adult to authorize another person to make decisions or act in relation to the adult's financial affairs. The authority can be general or specific, and the document is designed to continue despite incapability when the statutory requirements are met.
What is a Representation Agreement?
A Representation Agreement is a British Columbia planning document that can authorize a representative in relation to specified decisions, including personal-care and health-care matters depending on the agreement and statutory provisions.
What if I think a Will is unfair?
An unfair result does not by itself identify the legal claim. A spouse or child who believes a Will did not make adequate provision may need to consider Wills Variation. A person concerned that the Will-maker lacked capacity or was subjected to undue influence may be dealing with Will validity instead.
What if I am concerned about the executor?
Executor concerns can range from delay and poor communication to accounting, distribution or more serious disputes about administration. Where the main concern is how the estate is being administered, the issue may belong in probate or estate litigation rather than Wills Variation.
Can the same estate involve more than one legal issue?
Yes. A family may simultaneously be dealing with probate, Wills Variation, questions about capacity or undue influence, and concerns about an executor. Those issues can interact, but they should not be collapsed into one legal test.
When should I speak with an estate lawyer?
For planning, the useful time is before the documents are urgently needed. For an executor, advice may be helpful when authority, probate, liabilities or distribution are unclear. For a dispute, earlier review can be important where property is moving, court proceedings may be required or a statutory deadline may apply.
Does Tim Louis offer a Free consultation?
Yes. You can call 604-732-7678, email timlouis@timlouislaw.com or use the online contact form. If you have a Will or another document connected to the problem, have it available when you contact Tim.
Official and legal sources referenced in this page
- Wills, Estates and Succession Act, SBC 2009, c 13
- Supreme Court Civil Rules, Part 25
- Power of Attorney Act
- Representation Agreement Act
- Province of British Columbia — Wills and estates
- Province of British Columbia — After a Death: Deal with wills and estates
These sources provide general legal and procedural context. The legal route for an individual estate depends on the documents, family circumstances, assets, authority, timing and current law.
Free consultation
Start with the estate problem you have, not the legal label
You may need to plan for your own future. You may be trying to administer the estate of someone who has died. Or you may be dealing with a Will, executor or inheritance problem that has already become a dispute.
You do not need to know whether the legal category is probate, Wills Variation, undue influence or estate litigation before you contact Tim. Bring the documents you have and explain what has happened. Tim can identify the legal route, anything that needs prompt attention and what options make sense next.
Estate & Probate Help Across Metro Vancouver — Free consultation
Meet by phone or video. We move quickly on time-sensitive deadlines for executors and families.
Vancouver — Estate Lawyer
Wills • Probate applications • Wills variation (disinheritance) • Executor guidance
If you live in Vancouver, we can prepare or update your will, guide probate, and resolve inheritance concerns with clear next steps.
Surrey — Estate Lawyer
Probate • Letters of administration • Intestacy guidance • Wills
In Surrey, we help executors avoid delays and families understand rights when there’s no will.
Burnaby — Estate Lawyer
Wills variation • Estate litigation • Executor support
Burnaby families rely on us to assess challenges quickly and protect beneficiary interests.
Langley — Estate Lawyer
Wills • Probate • Power of attorney • Representation agreements
From Langley, meet by phone or video. We’ll review your documents and map the strongest path forward.
Related Articles
Living Content System™
Reviewed for current British Columbia estate-law guidance
This page is maintained as Tim Louis & Company's primary Estate Law decision hub for people planning ahead, dealing with an estate after death, or facing an estate dispute. The review process keeps those three paths, the governing legal sources, specialist-page boundaries, internal authority routes and consultation pathway aligned with the reader's actual decision.
- Legal review
- Tim Louis
- Jurisdiction
- British Columbia
- Page role
- Estate Law service hub
- Review cycle
- Quarterly and on material change
What this review keeps current
The distinctions that determine which estate-law route a reader needs
Planning ahead
Wills, enduring Powers of Attorney, Representation Agreements and other planning questions that operate before death or incapacity.
After a death
Executors, administrators, probate, estate administration, intestacy and the authority needed to deal with estate assets.
Estate disputes
Wills Variation, Will validity, undue influence, executor disputes and broader estate litigation, with each issue routed to its specialist authority page.
Probate boundaries
The page is reviewed so probate is not incorrectly described as universally required for every British Columbia estate or every executor action.
Lifetime versus after-death authority
Wills, Powers of Attorney and Representation Agreements remain clearly separated so one document is not described as performing the legal function of another.
Hub and specialist boundaries
The Estate Lawyer page remains broad enough to identify the reader's problem while specialist Wills, Probate, Wills Variation and Estate Litigation pages retain detailed legal depth.
Estate Law Decision Hub
Three reader journeys, one parent authority page
Planning ahead
Route to Wills, Powers of Attorney, Representation Agreements, blended-family planning and more complex estate planning where appropriate.
After a death
Route to probate, estate administration, intestacy and executor guidance without overstating when probate is required.
Estate dispute
Route to Wills Variation, Will validity, undue influence, executor disputes and estate litigation according to the legal issue actually raised.
Related verified guidance
The hub identifies the issue; specialist pages own the depth
These routes keep planning, probate, Wills Variation, Will validity and estate litigation connected without forcing every estate-law question into one page.
If you know you have an estate-law problem but are not sure whether the next step is planning, probate and administration, Wills Variation or estate litigation, Tim can review the documents and identify which route should be considered first.
