Estate Planning for Marital Property
Many of my clients have expressed concern about how best to protect their or their child’s interest in a matrimonial home. The Family Law Act (Ontario) (the “Act”) is the basis of this concern. The Act aims, in part, to achieve an equal division of property acquired during marriage between legally married people when a marriage dissolves or the first spouse dies. The Act uses a formula to calculate the total value of property or “net family property” (“NFP”) acquired by each spouse during the marriage. The spouse with the lesser NFP is entitled to claim from the other...
Read MoreIs Your Property Up to Standard?
The City or Town you choose to live in should be beautiful and a source of pride for not only you, but all of its residents. Although beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, municipalities impose a set of rules as to how owners are to maintain their homes and properties so that our neighbourhoods remain attractive, safe and healthy places in which to live. The Town of Markham’s Property Standards By-law (248-1999) containing these rules (please ask Andrea Kelly about the by-law(s) for other cities or towns, if desired) covers, for example, requirements regarding: the yard around...
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Andrea P. Kelly is a legal practitioner and notary public, called to the Ontario Bar in 2001, with practice focus in Estate Planning and Administration, including wills, estates, trusts and powers of attorney. She also practices Real Estate.
Prior to opening her law firm, she worked in various capacities including litigation support lawyer for the Ministry of Attorney General regarding complex commercial litigation, private practice in corporate/commercial law and numerous legal research and writing positions.