MAKE A WILL MONTH

Due to overwhelming public interest, what started as Make a Will Week in 1997, has grown into Make a Will Month, each November. It was sponsored by the Canadian Bar Association (Ontario), now known as the Ontario Bar Association, and the Law Society of Upper Canada in cooperation with Sun Life, CIBC Trust, Certified General Accountants Association of Ontario, the Heart & Stroke Foundation, Coopers & Lybrand, now PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and the Canadian Cancer Society - Ontario Division. It was created in response to surveys which indicated that approximately half of Ontario residents do not have a will!

Hooey Remus LLP is proud to have participated in this programme since its inception in 1997. While the sponsors no longer formally organize the Make a Will Month program, in 2007, Hooey Remus LLP remains committed to the goals of the Make a Will Month program.

The most obvious barriers which dissuade many from making a will and powers of attorney are cost, inconvenience in getting to a lawyer's office for a consultation and lack of knowledge about the benefits of preparing a will and powers of attorney. The Make a Will Month program and Hooey Remus LLP can help to reduce these barriers so that you can enjoy the peace of mind that comes from the planned protection for yourself, your assets and the expectations of your family and friends through the use of a will and powers of attorney for your personal and estate planning.

 

What did Hooey Remus LLP do as its part of this program?

  • To reduce the cost barrier, we will lower the cost of our basic individual will from November 1, 2007 to November 30, 2007. This service includes a full consultation with a lawyer at our offices. Our basic individual will is suitable for most people. Although most people do not require it, from time to time, the complexity of a person's affairs requires a second will, and trust or tax advice at an additional cost. If that were to be the case in any situation, we advise the participant at the time of consultation after reviewing his or her situation and the participant chooses whether or not to proceed. Of course, for those who do not wish to proceed at that point, there is no charge for the consultation.

 

  • Similarly, we reduced the cost of our power of attorney for personal care and power of attorney for property for the same period.

 

  • To reduce the inconvenience barrier, we will send out our free EstateQuest software to anyone who wishes to make a will or power of attorney. This software uses a questionnaire style to obtain the necessary information for us to prepare a will and power of attorney, after reviewing and discussing it with you. On-screen explanations assist you in outlining options and explaining choices. You can use the software at your own pace and at whatever time is convenient to you. When you're finished, send it to us and we can use the information to prepare draft documents for our discussion with you.

 

  • To reduce the inconvenience barrier, for employers, we will make a no-cost, no-obligation presentation to your employees on the benefits of making a will and preparing powers of attorney, together with a description of the types of issues they will have to address when preparing them. There is also a time for questions. Each employee will receive a complimentary copy of the Make a Will Month information kit prepared by the participants and sponsors as part of the Make a Will Month program. We will come to your workplace to explain the benefits that come from the planned protection of yourself, your assets and the expectations of your family and friends through the use of a will and powers of attorney! This is not a sales pitch for Hooey Remus LLP. Participants are encouraged to obtain a will from their own personal lawyer or to obtain a recommendation of a lawyer to prepare a will and powers of attorney from a satisfied friend. There is also information provided about the Law Society Referral Service and the services offered by trust companies in estate planning. These presentations take about an hour and can be scheduled during a lunch hour, at the end of the workday or at another convenient time. We recognize that November may not be the most convenient time for such a presentation in your business. We have always provided this program at other convenient times during the year for employee groups with the same three month price reduction.

 

  • We have presented the program to employees of The Treasury Board, Ontario, Kraft Canada (Don Mills), Kraft Canada (Etobicoke), Acres International Limited (Oakville), The Ministry of Finance, Ontario, Acres International Limited (Niagara Falls), Acres International Limited (Toronto) Rehabilitation Institute of Toronto (Hillcrest site), Rehabilitation Institute of Toronto (University Avenue site), Rehabilitation Institute of Toronto (Lyndhurst site), Rehabilitation Institute of Toronto (Rumsey Centre site), Rehabilitation Institute of Toronto (Queen Elizabeth site), McCormick Rankin, Ingle Life and Health, Dye & Durham Co. Inc., Law Society of Upper Canada, Volkswagen Canada , and Toyota Canada.

 

What does Hooey Remus LLP do as its part of this programme for the rest of the year?

To reduce the knowledge barrier and assist with your decision and planning, we will provide you, free of charge, a copy of the brochure entitled When You See a Lawyer About Making a Will, prepared by the Law Society of Upper Canada. Click on the green button to request this from Bruce Drake.

 

To set up a consultation with Bruce Drake or a presentation for your employees, click on the green button . Bruce Drake will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements. We will provide a reduced pricing programme to employees on the same basis as the November programme.

 

If you have Microsoft PowerPoint software, you may wish to view the slides from the Hooey Remus LLP presentation. Although this is primarily designed for those who have attended our presentation, we make it available without charge to all who wish to view it. Click on the green button to view the presentation slides.

 

Is there another way we can help? Please let us know. Click on the green button to send an email to Bruce Drake with your suggestion.

 

If you have any questions, please contact us at:

W. Bruce Drake
Hooey Remus LLP
Suite 400, 1 University Avenue
Toronto, Ontario M5J 2P1
 
Telephone: (416) 362-2051
Facsimile: (416) 362-3646

eMail: bdrake@hooeyremus.com

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