Mary B. Hamilton KC

Mary Hamilton, K.C. is a Partner in the firm’s Wills, Estates + Trusts and Charities + Non-Profit Practice Groups. Mary has extensive experience in matters relating to wills, trusts and estate administration. She has held senior positions with various wills, estates and trusts groups in Vancouver and was named Vancouver Trusts and Estates “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers® in Canada in 2011, 2017 and 2021.

Mary has over 30 years of experience advising clients about their estate planning including the use of wills, alter ego and joint spousal trusts, discretionary family trusts, qualified disability trusts, charitable giving and other vehicles to transition wealth during life and on death. Her advice is sought by successful business owners concerned about ensuring an effective transition of their business from one generation to the next and by wealthy individuals concerned about benefiting their families (and others) in a fair and responsible manner.

Mary spends a significant part of her time advising executors, administrators and trustees about the probate process, administration of estates and trusts, and helping them pass their accounts.

She also advises about incapacity – preparing powers of attorney, nominations of committee and representation agreements and advising attorneys, committees and representatives about their roles and responsibilities. She also has a great deal of experience advising clients about providing for a relative or friend with a disability.

Mary lectures frequently to client groups, lawyers, the charitable sector, and to the public on topics pertaining to wills, estates, incapacity and charitable giving. She also shares her expertise with other lawyers in BC; regularly updating her significant resource for wills lawyers in BC (an annotated guide about Wills and other personal planning documents) and co-editing BC practice manuals on both Estate Planning and Estate Administration.

Mary is a past member of several advisory committees creating and editing course material, booklets, or precedent documents for the Continuing Legal Education Society and the Law Society of British Columbia.