Ariel Lekas
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Practice Areas
Estate & Wealth Advisory Estate and Trust Administration Personal Planning: Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Health Care Private Business and Family Enterprise Planning Trusts Wealth Preservation Business Reorganizations Business Transactions Succession Planning for Privately Owned BusinessesShare This Page
OVERVIEW
Ariel is a lawyer in the firm’s Estate and Wealth Advisory Group. She assists families, individuals and business owners with integrated planning to provide optimal outcomes for both business and personal succession plans.
Prior to joining Richards Buell Sutton, Ariel maintained a general corporate and commercial law practice which also included advising clients across a broad range of industries on a variety of corporate governance matters, mergers & acquisitions, real estate, corporate reorganizations, and estate and trust administration.
As a transplant from Alberta, Ariel enjoys spending her free time exploring Vancouver with her husband and Boston Terrier, Cricket. Her other hobbies and interests include camping and travelling, tennis, and birdwatching.
REPRESENTATIVE CLIENT WORK
- Advising clients in connection with personal and business estate and succession planning including the preparation of testamentary documents and incapacity planning, implementation of multiple will strategies, and preparing for intergenerational business transfers;
- Assisting and advising individuals and trust companies in connection with the administration of estates and trusts from applying for Grants of Probate or Administration, liaising with the Public Guardian and Trustee, transmitting real estate and corporate shares, and liquidating estate assets to payment of estate debts, obtaining consents and releases, and distributing assets to beneficiaries; and
- Assisting clients with incorporations, share/asset purchases or sales, reorganizations, corporate wind ups and general corporate matters.
PUBLICATIONS
- Business Succession (including Bill C-208 and Employee Ownership Trusts) – CFT BC Tax Conference, 2023 (Co-authored with Rutsu Shikano).
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
- Edmonton Community Legal Centre – Volunteer Lawyer (January 2021 – November 2022)
- CapitalCare Foundation – Director at Large (June 2020 – November 2022)
- Canadian Bar Association – Elder Law (Northern Alberta) – Treasurer and Director at Large (May 2018 – November 2022)
HONOURS & AWARDS
- Ariel has been recognized by Best Lawyers® in the category of “Ones to Watch” for 2022 through to 2024. Recognition by this publication is based entirely on peer-reviews.