Contact Information

200-736 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1G3

T. 604.915.7113 (ext. 101)
F. 604.915.7114
E. janine@thomaslaw.com

Education & Professional Qualifications

• B.Comm UBC (1976) LLB UBC (1977)
• Member Law Society of BC (1981)
• Member Law Society of Upper Canada (2001 – 2008)
• Named in National Post’s Best Lawyers in Canada 2007, 2008, 2009 editions

Practice Experience

June 2003 to present: sole practitioner focusing exclusively on estate planning and administration and related tax issues, including Wills, trusts, trust variations, postmortem reorganizations, and multi-jurisdiction problems; adult guardianship including Committee applications; assisting family law and litigation lawyers with matters involving estates and trusts; and assisting families with planning for a disabled family member.

• September 2001 to June 2003: Associate, Goodman and Carr LLP, Toronto, a leading Canadian law firm in the area of sophisticated estate planning and administration
• May 2000 to September 2001: Estate & Tax Planning Consultant, Canada Life. Provided advanced estate planning advice, case consultation and training to financial advisors. Assisted Head Office with special projects and problems. Through this acquired knowledge of insurance products and their application
• September 1995 to May 2000: Associate Counsel, Davis LLP, Vancouver
• July 1992 to June 1995: Associate Counsel, Russell & DuMoulin, Vancouver (now Fasken Martineau LLP)
• May 1981 to May 1992: Associate then Partner, Mawhinney & Kellough (now Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP)
• January 1980 to April 1981: Articled Student then Associate, Jestley Kirstiuk, Vancouver
• May 1977 to January 1980: Trust Officer, Canada Permanent Trust Company, Vancouver. Responsible for the administration of estates, trusts, and committeeships when the trust company appointed

Selective publications and presentations

• Author, Chapters 12-14, Taxation of the Deceased, Taxation of Estates and Testamentary Trusts, and Special Tax Issues, BC Probate and Estate Administration Practice Manual, CLE BC (1990 to present)
• Author, Chapter 4, The RRSP, RRIF and RSP, BC Estate Planning and Wealth Preservation Practice Manual, CLE BC (2002 to present)
• Speaker, Trust to Trust Transfers, Trusts: the Thorny Issues, Pacific Business and Law Institute (May 2008)
• Speaker, Hot Topics for Advisors – Don’t get Burnt, Advocis (Thompson Okanagan Chapter) Professional Development Day (April 2008)
• Speaker, Business Succession: Challenges, Opportunities, Solutions – A Case Study, Business Succession Planning Cruise sponsored by the RBC Group (September 2007)
• Speaker, Multiple Wills: Do they work in BC to avoid Probate Fees, Estate Planning Council of Vancouver (March 2007)
• Speaker, Legal Considerations, Integrated Estate Planning, Institute of Chartered Accountants of BC (October 2006)
• Speaker, Critical Issues in Estate Planning, Pacific Business and Law Institute (October 2004)
• Speaker, Using Insurance to fund Family Support Payments after Death, Family Law: Trust and Tax Issues, CLE of BC (October 2004)
• Speaker, Delegating Financial Management: The Tools for Financial Management, Estate, Financial and Care Planning for the Mature Client, Pacific Business and Law Institute (January 2004)
• Speaker, STEP Vancouver, Current Issues facing Executors and Trustees, October 2003
• Author, Tax Consequences of Certain Transfers of Ownership of a Life Insurance Policy, Goodman on Estate Planning, Wolfe D. Goodman, editor, Federated Press, 2002
• Speaker, Administration of Inter-Provincial Estates: A Comparison of Selective Issues in British Columbia and Ontario, Traveling the TransCanada Highway, Ontario Bar Association (November 2002)
• Speaker, Non-Will Testamentary Trusts: Doing it Right, Insurance to Die For: What every Advisor should know about Insurance Planning for High Net Worth Clients. Ontario Bar Association (September 2001)
• Instructor, CAIFA(now Advocis) Banff School (August 2001)
• Speaker, Estate Planning: Tips and Traps, Institute of Chartered Accountants of BC (2000 AGM & February 2000)
• Chair and presenter, Estate Planning for the Family Owned Business, Pacific Business & Law Institute (March 2000)
• Speaker, Proper Construction of Trusts, Canadian Tax Foundation, BC Tax Conference, (November 1998)
• Chair and presenter, Tough Issues in Estate Administration, Pacific Business & Law Institute, (May 1998)
• Speaker, Estate Planning Seminar for Artists and Collectors, Chinese-Canadian Artists Federation in Vancouver (May 1998)
• Speaker, The Will: an Estate Planning Tool, Institute of Chartered Accountants of BC (1997 to 2001)
• Speaker, Legal Issues for Executors and Trustees, Managing Wealth: A Guide for Trustees, Fiduciaries, Estate Executors and Estate Planners, Pacific Business & Law Institute (October 1997)
• Author, Passage of Shares of a Private Corporation on Death, Taxation of Private Corporations and their Shareholders (2nd ed. Kellough & McQuillan) Canadian Tax Foundation
• Speaker, Trusts and Charitable Giving, Trusts, Pacific Business & Law Institute (September 1995)

Professional & Other Activities

• Member, Estate Planning Council of Vancouver
• Member, Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners
• Member, Canadian Tax Foundation
• Member, STEP Canada
• Mediation training, Justice Institute of British Columbia (2003-2004)
• Former Director, Kaiser Foundation (www.kaiserfoundation.ca)
• Former Director, Kaiser Mental Health & Addictions Awareness Foundation
• Mentor, UBC Law School Mentorship Program
• Mentor, CBA (BC Branch) Women Lawyers Forum Mentoring Project
• Former Member, Editorial Board, Goodman on Estate Planning, Federated Press, 2002 to 2007
• Member, Representation Agreement Act Committee, Wills & Trusts Sections, CBA (BC Branch) (2000-2001)
• Former Member, Committee advising Benchers lawyer incorporations and issues related thereto
• Former Director, BC Courthouse Library Society
• Former Chair, Business Law Section, CBA (BC Branch)
• Former Member, Planned Giving Committee, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
• Former Member, Special Gifts Committee, National Nikkei Heritage Centre Society
• Former Member, Planned Giving Resource Team, BCIT
• Former Director, St. John Ambulance Society’s British Columbia Foundation
• Former Member, Resource Team, Dr. Norma Calder Schizophrenia Foundation
• Former Solicitor, BC’s Women’s Hospital and Health Centre Foundation (as it then was)
• Former Member, Executive Committee, Estate Planning Council of Toronto
• Former Member, Executive Committee, Society of Estate & Trust Practitioners (BC Branch)