Danielle specializes in estates, trusts and capacity litigation and advisory work.
Danielle represents clients in highly complex issues, involving:
- succession problems and disputes involving private companies
- highly contentious matters involving fiduciaries, including breach of fiduciary duties, fraud and removal of trustees
- mental capacity issues, and substitute decision making (guardianship and powers of attorney), including disputes and advice regarding personal
- care and property issues
- the administration of complex trusts and estates, including court processes such as applications for advice and directions, interpretations and passing of accounts
- aging investors, joint assets, and gifts
- issues involving not-for-profit companies and charitable interests
- professional liability
- multi-jurisdictional issues
Danielle is a trusted advisor to a wide range of clients, including fiduciaries, beneficiaries, financial institutions, corporate trustees, private companies and non-profits/charities/foundations.
Danielle is well-versed in the practises of the Ontario Children’s Lawyer and the Public Guardian and Trustee.
Danielle resolves disputes in a practical and cost effective manner, using alternative dispute mechanisms (mediation) and appears regularly in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, as well as the Ontario Court of Appeal.
Experience
- Represented a party on a novel case involving the administration of mutual wills;
- Successfully represented a guardian in a high conflict case involving safety of an incapable person and separation of marriage;
- Successfully represented clients to defeat a windup of a not for profit corporation holding multi-million dollars lands, and obtain approval of a proposed buyout;
- Successfully argued that a property belonged to the Estate based on principles of will interpretation and defeated an unjust enrichment claim;
- Successfully represented a wife to extend the time for her Family Law Act election on death of her husband and is currently under appeal;
- Successfully represented a guardian for property in the approval of a management plan containing an inter vivos trust, which was opposed on the basis it was a Will substitute;
- Successfully varied a large multi-million testamentary trust where Office of the Children had an interest;
- Successfully represented the plaintiff in obtaining a multi-million-dollar equalization advance from an estate.
- Successfully represented an institutional trustee on a multi-day hearing on a contested passing of accounts.
- Successfully represented the Estate Trustee against a creditor of a beneficiary who was seeking standing on a passing of accounts.
- Represented a party on a novel case involving the administration of mutual wills;
- Successfully represented a guardian in a high conflict case involving safety of an incapable person and separation of marriage;
- Successfully represented clients to defeat a windup of a not for profit corporation holding multi-million dollars lands, and obtain approval of a proposed buyout;
- Successfully argued that a property belonged to the Estate based on principles of will interpretation and defeated an unjust enrichment claim;
- Successfully represented a wife to extend the time for her Family Law Act election on death of her husband and is currently under appeal;
- Successfully represented a guardian for property in the approval of a management plan containing an inter vivos trust, which was opposed on the basis it was a Will substitute;
- Successfully varied a large multi-million testamentary trust where Office of the Children had an interest;
- Successfully represented the plaintiff in obtaining a multi-million-dollar equalization advance from an estate.
- Successfully represented an institutional trustee on a multi-day hearing on a contested passing of accounts.
- Successfully represented the Estate Trustee against a creditor of a beneficiary who was seeking standing on a passing of accounts.