Are you looking for an estate planning lawyer in Coquitlam, BC?
At HS Law Corporation, we provide estate planning representation grounded in more than 20 years of work on behalf of clients in Coquitlam.
If you own a home in Coquitlam and want that property to pass the way you intend, a Coquitlam, BC estate planning lawyer can put the right documents in place well before anyone needs them. Our founder, Hogan Song, has practised for more than 20 years across British Columbia and other Canadian jurisdictions.
His work covers estates and business law together, which matters when a family’s wealth sits in a company as well as a house. Call our office to arrange a consultation.
Estate Planning Lawyer Coquitlam, BC
Estate planning is the work of deciding in advance who receives your property and who holds authority to act for you. That authority matters while you are alive, not only after death. In British Columbia a full plan ordinarily rests on three documents. A will directs what happens to your estate. An enduring power of attorney lets someone manage your finances if you lose capacity. A representation agreement does the same for health and personal care.
Coquitlam is home to 148,625 residents, according to City of Coquitlam data. A large share of that population holds most of its net worth in one property. When the house is the estate, small drafting choices produce large results.
Types of Estate Planning Cases We Handle in Coquitlam
Estate work rarely stops at a single document. Some clients come to us for a first will after buying a home. Others arrive years later with a plan that no longer matches their family or their holdings. We handle both ends of that range, along with the disputes that occasionally follow.
- Wills. We draft wills that name an executor, appoint guardians for minor children, and set out how the estate is divided. Blended families, adult children with disabilities, and property held outside British Columbia each call for different provisions. We ask about all of it before drafting anything. A will that ignores a second marriage or a company interest tends to create the exact fight it was meant to prevent.
- Enduring powers of attorney. This document gives a named person authority over your financial and legal affairs if you can no longer manage them yourself. Without one, an application to court may be the only route. We draft the authority broadly or narrowly depending on what you actually want the attorney to do.
- Representation agreements. Health care and personal care decisions sit outside a power of attorney in British Columbia. A representation agreement fills that gap. We explain the difference between the two forms available and prepare the one that fits your circumstances. Without one, the decision may fall to a relative you would not have chosen.
- Trusts. Trusts created in a will can hold property for young beneficiaries, protect a beneficiary receiving disability benefits, or stage distributions over time. We set out the trustee’s powers in plain terms so nobody has to guess later. Naming the wrong trustee causes more trouble than any drafting error, and it is a frequent source of trust disputes.
- Estate administration. When someone dies, the executor applies for a representation grant and then gathers assets, pays debts, and distributes what remains. We act for executors through that process, including the notice requirements that come first. Many estate administration disputes begin with a step missed at that early stage.
- Business succession planning. A shareholder’s death can freeze a company. We coordinate wills with shareholder agreements and share structures so that control passes without a shutdown. Owners of Coquitlam businesses often need a second will covering private company shares, which keeps those assets outside the probate application.
- Wills variation claims. A spouse or child who believes a will failed to provide adequately for them can ask the court to vary it. We advise will-makers on reducing that exposure at the drafting stage, and we act for claimants and estates once a claim is filed.
- Estate litigation. Capacity, the validity of a signature, and the conduct of an executor all end up in court from time to time. We represent beneficiaries, executors and estates in those proceedings.
Why Choose HS Law as my Estate Planning Lawyer in Coquitlam, BC?
One Lawyer From First Draft to Final Distribution
Hogan Song represents clients and only brings in associate lawyers at his discretion. He earned both his bachelor’s degree and his law degree at the University of Alberta and is a member in good standing of the Law Society of British Columbia. Twenty years of practice across estates, civil litigation and corporate work sits behind every plan we draft. That litigation background changes how we draft. Having argued estate cases, we know which clauses get attacked and we write to close those openings. If you also need a broader law firm in Coquitlam, that same range is available to you.
Roots in the Tri-Cities
Hogan serves on the board of the New View Society and heads its asset management committee. He is also a board member of the Tri-Cities Seniors Action Society and sits on the government relations and economic development committee of the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce. Closer to home, he coaches and manages for Coquitlam Minor Hockey Association and Port Moody Soccer Club. The families we plan for are our neighbours.
What Is Important To Understand About Estate Planning Cases?
Key Estate Planning Documents and What They Do
Most plans are built from a short list of instruments. Knowing what each one covers makes the drafting conversation faster.
- Will. Names an executor, distributes the estate, and can appoint guardians for children under 19.
- Enduring power of attorney. Authorises someone to handle financial and legal affairs during incapacity.
- Representation agreement. Authorises someone to make health and personal care decisions.
- Testamentary trust. Holds estate property for a beneficiary under terms you set.
- Beneficiary designations. Direct registered plans and insurance proceeds outside the will entirely.
- Wills notice. Registers where your will is kept so your executor can find it.
What Is The Estate Planning Case Timeline?
A straightforward plan moves quickly. Complications such as foreign property or a company reorganisation extend it.
- Initial consultation, where we review your assets and your intentions.
- Instructions confirmed in writing, usually within a week.
- Drafts circulated for your review and comments.
- Signing appointment with witnesses present.
- Wills notice filed and originals stored.
What Are Important Aspects of an Estate Planning Case?
Capacity and intention sit at the centre of every file. A will can be set aside if the will-maker did not understand what they were signing, or if someone pressured them into it. That is why we meet clients alone for instructions, and why we keep detailed notes. Warning signs of undue influence are easier to address before signing than after a death.
Timing is the other pressure point. Under British Columbia succession law, a claim to vary a will must be started within 180 days of the date the representation grant is issued. The executor must then be served within 30 days after that period ends. Executors and claimants both lose options when those dates pass. Where a will is challenged on other grounds, such as an attempt to challenge a will’s validity, different periods apply.
Ownership structure deserves attention too. Property held in joint tenancy and registered plans with named beneficiaries pass outside the will. Adding an adult child to title is a common shortcut in Coquitlam households, and it carries consequences that most people are never told about. Clients are often surprised by how little of their estate the will actually governs. If a person dies without a valid will, a statutory order decides who inherits, and that order rarely matches what the person would have chosen. Estates settled without legal help tend to surface these problems late, when the fix costs more.
What Should You Bring to Your Estate Planning Consultation?
Bring what you have. Gaps are normal, and we can work from partial information.
- A list of real property, including title details and how each property is held.
- Account and investment statements, plus any registered plan beneficiary designations.
- Corporate records if you own shares in a private company.
- Any existing will, power of attorney or representation agreement.
- Names and contact details for the people you want to appoint.
The first meeting is a free 30 minute consultation by phone or video. We use it to understand your situation and tell you plainly what documents you need, and whether anything in your current arrangements creates risk.
Coquitlam Estate Planning Resources
Several public bodies handle parts of the process that no lawyer can do for you.
- New Westminster Law Courts. Probate applications for Coquitlam estates are filed at this Supreme Court registry. The registry also handles wills variation claims and any litigation that follows a grant.
- B.C. Wills Registry, operated by the Vital Statistics Agency. Filing a wills notice records where your will is stored. A search of the registry is a required step before probate can be granted.
- Public Guardian and Trustee. Administers estates when no one is willing or able to act, and reviews matters involving minors. It must also be given notice when a beneficiary is under 19 or lacks capacity.
- Nidus Registry. A non-profit registry for representation agreements and enduring powers of attorney. Registering a document means a hospital or bank can locate it when your representative needs to act.
- Wills and estate planning, published by the Province of British Columbia. Plain language background on each planning document, including advance directives and incapacity planning.
Reach Out to HS Law to Schedule a Consultation
A plan drafted now costs far less than a dispute later. Contact us to schedule a free 30 minute consultation by phone or video. We’ll review what you own, ask about your family, and tell you plainly which documents your situation calls for. Nothing is drafted until you decide to proceed. We respond to new enquiries promptly and can usually meet within the same week.
