Private Client Services

Privately held businesses and their owners face a unique set of challenges in preserving and transferring wealth.

Our clients, including entrepreneurs, high-net worth individuals, executives, and philanthropists, count on Farris to provide guidance in making these complex decisions. We advise our clients on business succession planning, individual estate planning, trusts, trustee matters, estate and trust litigation, charities and philanthropy.

We regularly advise private businesses on inter-generational transitions and transitions to third parties. Our aim is to help clients realize their goals and to experience a smooth transition by using corporate reorganizations, shareholders’ agreements, trusts, management agreements, and other arrangements. Our lawyers have experience advising businesses across an array of industries.

We assist individuals in developing and implementing personal estate plans using wills, trusts, and other tools to protect assets, maximize tax efficiency and minimize risk. Our lawyers help clients prepare for incapacity through the use of powers of attorney, medical directives, committee nominations and representation agreements.

The transfer of wealth can lead to legal and personal conflicts. Our litigators regularly advise clients on contentious estate and trust disputes including issues related to trust and estate administration, powers of attorney, loss of capacity, undue influence, validity of wills, removal or substitution of trustees, and recovery of assets.

Our experienced private wealth group has the knowledge and expertise to assist in the preservation of individual wealth in the face of attack from creditors, future heirs and others, including the establishment of trusts, advising on pre-nuptial agreements and other strategies.

Planned giving is often an integral part of personal wealth planning. We advise on the legal and tax implications of philanthropy, establishment of charitable entities such as private foundations and other methods of planned giving.

Charities & Not For Profit

In addition to our private client services practice, we provide a broad range of services to charities and not-for-profit clients, including: corporate governance advice, gifting agreements and endowments, tax advice regarding all aspects of establishing a charitable organization or foundation, various regulatory matters affecting the charitable and not-for-profit sector, incorporation of federal not-for-profit corporations and provincially registered societies, planning for significant charitable gifts, and donor advised funds.