Leslie L. Whicher
Barrister and Solicitor
Notary Public
About Me
My practice is all about being prepared. While lawyers are indisputably necessary
when business deals and family matters go awry, I believe the best use of a lawyer is to
help clients organize their affairs to prevent the kind of mishaps, expense and
unhappiness so inevitably a part of some other areas of practice.
From my articling year, 1989-90, through 1997 I practiced law with Bratty and Partners (now Bratty's LLP), a leading real estate and business law firm and one where the focus was on "how can the client achieve his or her objectives" rather than "you can't do that!"
Wills, powers of attorney, contracts, shareholders' agreements and business structures are all about planning and protecting. That is what I am here to do.
You've been busy looking after your family and achieving your dreams. Protect them.
Experience
Wills and Estate Planning Having worked with owners of large and small businesses in private practice, my experience encompasses a full range of involvement in estate planning. Whether simply a matter of preparing wills that adequately provide for the various individual needs of clients, or arranging corporate ownership to better preserve and protect the advantages of my clients' ingenuity and hard work for future generations, there is no substitute for careful listening and personal attention.
I have prepared a wide range of wills, from straightforward and basic to those providing for the structured or tax-efficient disposition of assets over time or to provide for the care of beneficiaries unable to manage their own inheritances. I have years of experience with the disposition of shares and extensive real estate holdings under carefully prepared wills that make special provision for dealing with these types of assets as well as ongoing businesses.
In addition, I have prepared shareholders' agreements, estate freezes and various tax-driven reorganizations with a view to preserving assets and providing for the orderly transition of holdings within families.
Corporate/Commercial Law My corporate/commercial experience is broad, and largely focused on the structuring of business affairs proactively and preventively, from setting up partnerships, co-tenancies, limited partnerships and corporate structures, basic incorporations and agreements to ongoing matters including ownership changes, commercial financings, the purchase or sale of shares or business assets, shareholders' disputes, corporate reorganizations and contract negotiation and preparation. I have been worked on everything from the purchase of corner stores to the sale and purchase of very large nationwide businesses.
Although I do not practice real estate law at present, I have worked on many business transactions with a significant real estate component, as well as many tax-driven transactions.
Having a successful business involves organizing it well with the proper structuring and agreements at the outset, but also planning for change and protecting its growth.
Education
LL.B. Osgoode Hall Law School, 1989
Year of Call
Ontario, 1991
email: lwhicher@rogers.com