Estate Planning

A well drafted Will provides clarity as to the distribution of the Estate’s assets. This clarity greatly reduces the potential for disagreement amongst prospective beneficiaries, which, in unfortunate instances, can lead to lengthy and costly litigation proceedings. At Dixon Legal LLP, our Estate Planning team has drafted thousands of Wills. Trust our experience to ensure that your Will is a true reflection of your desires upon passing.

A Personal Directive is a legal document which provides for the appointment of a trusted individual to make medical decisions for you in the event that you no longer hold legal capacity to make these decisions yourself. For example, if an individual’s ability to make decisions was demonstrably impaired by severe dementia, they may not have the legal capacity to make decisions relating to the provision of their own medical care. In this instance, a Personal Directive would allow the person previously appointed to make decisions relating to the provision of medical care on their behalf. If you lose legal capacity and have not completed a Personal Directive, your friends or family would have to apply for Guardianship through the courts. This can be a lengthy and costly process.

In addition to the appointment of a Personal Representative, a Personal Directive allows for your wishes in relation to medical treatment and personal care to be adhered to if you are incapacitated. Some of these considerations include end-of-life decisions such as remaining on life support and whether or not pain medication to be used.

Similar to a Personal Directive, an Enduring Power of Attorney is a legal document that allows you to appoint a trusted individual referred to as an Attorney. Your Attorney will be able to make financial decisions on your behalf when you no longer have legal capacity to make those decisions yourself