At Cairns Law, we believe that community is built by people who care. Alberta’s teachers and educational support staff care deeply, and give more of themselves than we pay attention to. Over the past weeks, many of us have been watching with heavy hearts, agitated minds and restless kids, as teachers have had to step away from their classrooms - not for vacation or perks, but for classrooms that function for their students, and their students' futures that deserve better. Our

When a person passes away, some of the first questions their loved ones ask is whether the person died with a Will and whether a Grant of Probate or Grant of Administration is required. In Alberta, when a person dies without a Will, no one has authority over the deceased's estate. This is called dying intestate . The Surrogate Court grants the necessary authority and responsibility to a person, or trust company, through a Grant of Administration . The Grant of Administrati

Personal representatives ("PR") are often focused on gathering assets and paying routine bills and beneficiaries, but forgetting about taxes can create big problems...including late penalties and personal liability for the PR. When a person passes away, his/her/their taxes need to be filed with the CRA at least one last time. This is called the final return . It covers the period from January 1 of the year of death up to the date of death (i.e. New Years Day to Date of Death)

There is a saying: “The best time to plant a tree was yesterday. The second-best time is today.” Estate planning is like that. Most people put it off because life is busy, the future feels far away, or it’s hard to know where to start. But once it’s done, clients almost always say: “I feel so much better having that off my mind.” Whether you're starting a family, settling into retirement, or simply trying to get organized, it’s never too early, or too late, to plant that tree

Some of the most common things I hear from clients are: “I don’t know what the process is to get started.” "We want to keep things simple.” “We should have done this years ago.” Let me say this clearly: you’re not alone.  We are human , and we don’t often know the ins and outs of someone else’s profession or trade, and we don't often want to talk or think about our death while we're in the hustle of life. Estate planning, estate administration, and real estate law touch some