Legal Office Procedures- Wills And Estates
Curriculum guideline
Effective Date:
Course
Discontinued
No
Course code
OADM 1329
Descriptive
Legal Office Procedures- Wills And Estates
Department
Office Administration
Faculty
Commerce & Business Administration
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
201430
PLAR
Yes
Semester length
15 weeks x 4 hours per week = 60 hours
Max class size
30
Contact hours
Lecture 2 hours per week
Seminar 2 hours per week
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Learning activities
A combination of lectures, guided practices, assignments and case studies will be used. Active learning is an integral part of this course, and emphasis will be placed on a “hands-on” environment to allow students to work both independently and collaboratively to learn and apply procedures and tasks carried on in a legal office. Both learning activities and evaluations will be structured to stress problem solving, accuracy, and working within time constraints.
Course description
This course introduces the student to the role and responsibilities of a Legal Administrative Assistant employed in the field of wills and estates in British Columbia. Students will gain knowledge and practical experience in topics such as Wills and Codicils, Grants of Letters Probate and Letters of Administration with and without a Will, Administration Bonds, transferring the deceased’s assets, and winding up estates. This is a “hands-on” course in which the students integrate keyboard, computer, document formatting, and transcription skills, with knowledge of estate law.
Course content
- Basic Trust Principles
- Definition of a trust
- Parties to a trust
- Elements required for a trust
- Appointing a trustee
- Responsibilities of a trustee
- Application of applicable statutes to trusts
- Purpose of a testamentary trust
- Characteristics of a testamentary trust
- The Application of trust principles to probates and administrations
- Acts (Statutes)
- Provincial statutes relating to wills, wills variations, estate administration, and trustees.
- Court Applications
- Letters of Probate
- Letters of Administration
- Letters of Administration With Will Attached
- Wills
- Definition of a Will
- The creation of a testamentary trust through the creation of a Will.
- Validity requirements including legal requirements of making a Will
- Reasons for making a Will
- Execution
- Formatting a Will
- Clauses in a Will
- Codicil
- Memorandum To Will
- Safeguarding the Will
- Filing a Wills Notice
- Execution of a new Will
- Revocation of a Will
- Execution of a Codicil
- Wills Instruction Form
- Reporting to the Client
- Wills and Estates Terminology
- Probate with adult beneficiaries
- Obtaining Will
- Identifying Trustee (Executor/Executrix)
- Trustee’s Duties:
- Gathering Information
- Preserving Assets
- Notifying Beneficiaries and Creditors
- Maintaining Accounts
- Preparing Disclosure Document
- Distribution of Estate
- Documentation Required For Letters Probate
- Requisition
- Wills Notice Search
- Notice of Intention to Apply for Probate
- Affidavits of Notice
- Disclosure Document
- Affidavit of the Executor
- Consents of Creditors
- Calculation of Probate Fees
- Post-Application Procedures
- Transmission of assets to the personal representative
- Preparation and filing of Income Tax Returns
- Request For Clearance Certificate
- Conditions Met Prior To Distribution
- Probate with minor beneficiaries
- Obtaining Will
- Identifying Trustee (Executor/Executrix)
- Obtaining Revocations
- Trustee’s Duties:
- Gathering Information
- Preserving Assets
- Notifying Beneficiaries and Creditors
- Notifying Guardians and Public Guardian and Trustee
- Maintaining Accounts
- Preparing Disclosure Document
- Distribution of Estate
- Documentation Required For Letters Probate
- Requisition
- Wills Notice Search
- Notice of Intention to Apply for Probate
- Affidavits of Notice
- Disclosure Document
- Affidavit of the Executor
- Consents of Creditors
- Calculation of Probate Fees
- Post-Application Procedures
- Transmission of assets to the personal representative
- Preparation and filing of Income Tax Returns
- Request For Clearance Certificate
- Conditions Met Prior To Distribution
- Administration With Will Annexed
- Obtaining Will
- Appointing A Trustee (Administrator/Administratrix)
- Trustee’s Duties:
- Gathering Information
- Preserving Assets
- Notifying Beneficiaries and Creditors
- Maintaining Accounts
- Preparing Disclosure Document
- Distribution of Estate
- Administrative Bonds
- Documentation Required For Administration With Will Annexed
- Requisition
- Wills Notice Search
- Notice of Intention to Apply for Administration
- Affidavits of Notice
- Disclosure Document
- Affidavit of the Administrator
- Renunciations and Consents of Creditors
- Order
- Post-Application Procedures
- Transmission of assets to the personal representative
- Preparation and filing of Income Tax Returns
- Request For Clearance Certificate
- Conditions Met Prior To Distribution
- Administration
- Confirming Intestacy
- Appointing A Trustee (Administrator/Administratrix)
- Trustee’s Duties:
- Gathering Information
- Preserving Assets
- Identifying and Notifying Beneficiaries and Creditors
- Maintaining Accounts
- Preparing Disclosure Document
- Distribution of Estate
- Administrative Bonds
- Documentation Required For Administration
- Requisition
- Wills Notice Search
- Notice of Intention to Apply for Administration
- Affidavits of Notice
- Disclosure Document
- Affidavit of the Administrator
- Renunciations and Consents of Creditors
- Order
- Post-Application Procedures
- Transmission of assets to the personal representative
- Preparation and filing of Income Tax Returns
- Request For Clearance Certificate
- Conditions Met Prior To Distribution
Learning outcomes
The learner has reliably demonstrated the ability to:
- explain basic principles of trust law and the ways in which they apply to estate work. Explain the purpose of wills and/or codicils;
- accurately prepare and proofread wills and/or codicils;
- outline the correct execution procedures for testamentary documents;
- explain the purpose of the probate and/or administration of estates and the roles of the various parties involved in the estate;
- list the relevant statutes and their roles in the handling of testamentary documents and estates;
- utilize legal reference materials, in particular the Rules of Court, along with other sources of information in the processing of estates;
- translate an understanding of a simple probate with adult beneficiaries by creating correspondence and documents inclusive of all procedures from file opening to file closing;
- translate an understanding of a simple probate with adult beneficiaries by creating correspondence and documents inclusive of all procedures from file opening to file closing;
- translate an understanding of a simple administration (with will) by creating correspondence and documents inclusive of all procedures from file opening to file closing;
- translate an understanding of a simple administration (without will) by creating correspondence and documents inclusive of all procedures from file opening to file closing;
- define and correctly spell legal terms;
- observe professional standards in the maintenance and use of checklists;
- transcribe documents and correspondence;
- keyboard with speed and accuracy from five-minute timed writings; and
- demonstrate the ability to meet deadlines in a manner required to meet
legal industry standards.
Means of assessment
| Assignments | 5% - 10% |
| Simulations | 35% - 40% |
| Midterm and/or Test(s) | 25% - 30% |
| Final Exam | 20% - 25% |
| Keyboarding Speed (average of best three 5-minute timings) | 5% |
| 100% |
A maximum of two evaluations worth up to 20% may be assigned and due in the last 14 days of
class. (Some class time is provided to work on any evaluation due in the last
14 days of class)
Textbook materials
Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students:
Introduction to Wills and Estates. DFC Publications. (Latest Edition) or other wills and estates textbook as determined by the department.
A department approved keyboarding timed writing textbook (used in OADM 1303).
Course packs as determined by the instructor.
Prerequisites
Which prerequisite