Legal Resources

From the manual used by law students handling cases at LSLAP’s legal clinics. Provides a breakdown of common provisions included in wills. Also covers the execution of wills, and the administration and distribution of estates.

Contains generic templates to help with the routine tasks of administering a simple estate under the Indian Act. It’s intended to be used with the booklet “Estate Administration On-Reserve: A Guide for Executors and Administrators in British Columbia.”

Guide for people appointed by Indigenous Services Canada as the executor or administrator of the estate of a family member or friend who has passed away.

As an executor, you’re in charge of looking after the will maker’s affairs after they pass away. Learn an executor’s duties before you agree to act as one.

A “wills notice” identifies that a will has been registered and describes the person who made the will, where it’s located, and the date of the will. This website explains how to file one, how to search for one, and when to request one.

Describes how wills and estates on reserve are different from those off reserve for status Indians who ordinarily lived on reserve at the time of their death.

Questions and answers on wills-and-estates topics. Volunteer legal professionals provide answers to questions from the public relating to wills, dealing with death, settling an estate, and personal planning.

Explains your rights, and what you’re entitled to, if your common-law spouse dies. It explains the different definitions of “spouse,” and describes what happens if your spouse left a will, or if they died without a will. It explains pension, survivor, and CPP benefits. It also explains custody and guardianship of children.

Explains what the law says about how someone’s estate is distributed if they die without a will (intestate). A person doesn’t need to be married to be considered a spouse, and the court may need to appoint someone to look after any children. It also explains the duties of an administrator, and more.

The Law Society of British Columbia of has hundreds of thousands of client files, including wills, taken into possession when law firms have been taken over and through other processes. If you have lost track of your lawyer and need to locate files, contact the Law Society.