Wills, estates and real estate law in Kingston
Plain English, flat fees, one lawyer throughout.
Three lawyers and a clerk in a converted limestone house downtown, drafting wills, settling estates and closing house sales for Kingston families.
In plain language
What happens after someone dies
The first week is for the funeral and for family. Almost nothing legal has to happen in it. If you can, find the original will, not a photocopy. If we drafted it, we have it, and we will tell you who it names.
That person is the executor, which Ontario calls the estate trustee. It can be a son, a friend or a trust company. It does not have to be a lawyer, and most of the trustees we work with are not.
If a bank or the land registry asks for it, the trustee applies to the Superior Court of Justice for a certificate of appointment, which most people call probate. We prepare and file the application.
Then comes the ordinary work: gather what the person owned, pay what they owed, file their final tax return with the CRA, and keep a receipt for everything.
Only after that is anything handed out. A simple estate takes about a year from start to finish. A house to sell or a family disagreement makes it longer, and we will tell you which kind yours is at the first meeting.
The first-month checklist
Two pages for a new estate trustee: who to call, what to cancel, which papers to find, and what can safely wait. Written for Ontario and revised every January.
Free, whether or not you hire us.
Flat fees
The price before the work
We agree the fee in writing at the first meeting. Disbursements such as land transfer tax and court fees are passed on at cost.
Will and powers of attorney
A will, a power of attorney for property and one for personal care, drafted after one meeting and signed at a second.
$750 for one, $1,200 for a couple
Estate administration
We work beside the estate trustee from the first meeting to the final distribution, probate application included.
From $3,500
Probate application only
For trustees who will handle the rest themselves: we prepare and file the application for a certificate of appointment.
$1,850
Buying a home
Title search, title insurance, mortgage documents and registration on closing day, with keys released as soon as the deed registers.
$1,195 plus disbursements
Selling a home
Discharging the mortgage, preparing the deed and dealing with the buyer's lawyer, so closing day is quiet.
$950 plus disbursements
Home and hospital signings
We bring the will to you anywhere in the city, with a second witness from the office.
$150 per visit
The people
Who you will sit across from
Ruth Carrow
Founding lawyer, wills and estates
Opened the firm in the front room of this house and still drafts most of its wills. Reads every clause aloud before anyone signs.
Anneke Brouwer
Lawyer, estate administration
Guides estate trustees through probate and the year after it. Works in English and Dutch.
Theo Lindqvist
Lawyer, real estate
Handles purchases, sales and refinancing across Frontenac and Lennox and Addington. Stays on the phone on closing day until the keys are released.
Colleen Mahar
Law clerk
Keeps the will vault and the closing calendar. The voice you hear when you call.
My mother died in March and I had never heard the words estate trustee. Anneke gave me a ruled book, a list for the first month and her direct line. A year later the house was sold and my brother and I were still speaking.
Laura
Estate trustee, Amherstview
The record
What we can put our name to
Called to the Ontario bar
Ruth Carrow, Law Society of Ontario
Opened in this limestone house
Two rooms then, the whole house now
Free spring wills clinic for seniors
Pro bono, every April since
Licensed for electronic land registration
Teraview, used on every closing
Notaries public for Ontario
Copies certified at the front desk while you wait
Questions
Before your first half hour
Not always. A small estate with no house and a clear will can often be handled by the trustee alone. We will say so plainly if that is you.
A list of what you own and owe, the full names of the people you want to include, and your current will if you have one. Rough figures are fine.
In our fireproof vault, free, for as long as you like. You leave with a signed copy and a letter saying where the original is.
Plan on five to six weeks between a firm deal and closing day. We can move faster when the lender does.
We handle the paperwork and early negotiation. If a dispute is headed to court, we refer you to a litigator we trust and hand over the whole file.
Start with a free half hour.
Bring your questions and whatever paperwork you have. You leave with a plan and a fee in writing.
Contact
Tell us what you are dealing with
Colleen reads every message and replies by the end of the next business day.
Hours
- Monday–Friday
- 8:30am–5pm
Will signings on Thursday evenings by appointment.