Wills Week seminar is tomorrow

This is just a reminder to those who are planning to come out to my Wills Week seminar this week. It is going ahead tomorrow - Tuesday, October 4. If you want to learn more about Wills, Powers of Attorney, Personal directives, and the changes coming to Alberta wills law, now is your chance!

The program starts at 6:30, but you should plan on being early. Although this is a relatively large venue which holds about 170 people, it fills up every year so try to get there a half hour before starting. It's located inside the Edmonton Public Library at Whitemud Crossing, so there is plenty of free parking right in front. The room used to be a movie theatre I'm told, so it has nice comfy seats and good sight lines. The session will end at 8:30.

The library address is 4211 - 106 Street, and yes it's the one you can see from the freeway. If you're coming from out of town, it's easy to find and get to.

I'll be there with plenty of free handouts and information for everyone. I'll also have copies of my books if anyone would like to buy them. The event is sponsored by Edmonton Community Foundation so Liz from SCF will also be there with information and handouts about charitable giving.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Sessions for 2011 Wills Week have been scheduled

It's almost Wills Week 2011. Hopefully many of you who happen to be in the Edmonton area in the first week of October will come out to participate in free 2-hour sessions about estate planning. The sessions are all presented by experienced wills and estates lawyers. Wills week has been gathering momentum for a number of years, as it's a great way to get up-to-date, relevant, complete, reliable information about wills.

I don't know yet which session I'll be doing, but the schedule of times and venues has been released. If you want to see whether one of the sessions will be held near you, click here to see the Edmonton Community Foundation's newsletter. The schedule appears on page 2. Once I know where I'll be speaking, I'll let you know. If you can take in the session, please do, and please come over to say hello!

Wills Week 2010 a great success!

Thank you, thank you to the 250 or so of you who came out to hear me speak at my two Wills Week seminars this week. Everyone came prepared with questions and kept me busy through the seminars and afterwards. Some of the really determined ones actually kept me talking in the parking lot last night long after the session finished and the library was closed! I never mind when this happens, because I know the questions are really important to you, especially when you have to line up for an hour or more for your turn to ask me something. And I always want to feel that I've at least given you enough information and resources to start on your planning or to make the changes you need. Thanks again!

Looking forward to Wills Week

Just a reminder that this is Wills Week in Edmonton. This involves about a dozen free public lectures on Wills and Estate Planning by some of Edmonton's most experienced Wills lawyers. The sessions start today all over the city and continue through to Thursday. The session where I'll be speaking is on Thursday, October 7 at the Edmonton Public Library at Whitemud Crossing, 4211 - 106 Street. The session starts at 6:30 and runs for two hours. This is my favourite Wills Week venue (I've spoken in several over the years) as we always get a full turnout of listeners and the room is really comfortable for everyone. If anyone is in the area on the 7th, come on by and join us.

It's Wills Week 2010

It's time for Edmonton Community Foundation's annual WillPower Wills Week, with 12 FREE 2-hour sessions offered to the public. Each session is conducted by an estate lawyer who volunteers his/her time to present information about Wills, Enduring Powers of Attorney, Personal Directives and more. All sessions take place between Friday October 1 and Thursday October 7, 2010, at venues around Edmonton.

From their newsletter: "This year there is a special session being held for those who would like information on how to ensure their will provides for family members who may require special care." That session, called the PLAN Edmonton session because it was suggested by the organization of that name, is taking place on Wednesday, October 6, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at the Prince of Wales Armories.

This is an excellent opportunity to get some local, expert information about estate planning. You'll get a chance to pick up written information and ask questions. I've been participating in this event for years and have seen it grow bigger every year as more and more people realize what a valuable resource it is.

This year I'll once again be at the Edmonton Public Library at Whitemud Crossing, 4211 - 106 Street. Look for the program room, which used to be a movie theatre and has really comfy seats, or so I'm told. I'll be there on Thursday, October 7 from 6:30 to 8:30. Come early, as this is a popular venue.

For a list of all the venues, addresses and times, click here to go to the Edmonton Community Foundation's website. You'll also find their latest newsletter, The LATE Edition, with tons of information about estate planning and financial planning.

Wills Week 2010 coming soon

The Edmonton Community Foundation has set its schedule for Edmonton's Wills Week for October 1 - 7, 2010. There will be 12 sessions, both daytime and evening to choose from. Every session is free. These sessions are conducted by estate lawyers who volunteer their time to present information about the importance of having a valid, up-to-date Will. I've been involved in this for years - 8 or 9 years I think - and will be involved again this year. I'll let you know once it's been decided which session I'll be doing. I may even do two this year! Click here for information on Wills Week (2010 schedule wasn't up yet at the time I made this posting).

Wills Week a Success

I was glad to see so many people (more than 100) come out for my session for Wills Week this year. It just shows how many of you are actively looking for info about estate planning. There were a lot of questions during the session and afterwards so thanks to everyone for your participation. If you still have questions or you'd like me to cover a specific topic, please post a comment here and I'll be glad to reply.

I'd like to say a special hello to the students who are currently in the CPLED program, and not just those in my class! The articling year is tough but it flies by. Let me know if I can help with your Wills and Estates unit by suggesting books or websites that you might find useful.

Wills Week and Global TV

Hi everyone,

Just in case you missed it, I was interviewed on Global TV Edmonton on why you need a will.

October 5 to 10th is Wills Week, brought to you by the Edmonton Community Foundation and I will be giving my annual seminar on Wills in Whitemud on October 8th ... for more information, visit their website.

Watch for me on Global TV on October 7

I'll be interviewed by Lynda Steele of Global TV Edmonton on Wednesday, October 7 for their program "The Early News with Lynda Steele", which airs at 5:00. The topic will be Wills in general, why people need them and what should be in them. It happens to coincide with Wills Week, which is sponsored by Edmonton Community Foundation.

I was interviewed once before by Lynda not long ago and I found her to be a fantastic interviewer. She had prepared in advance by reading the material, and did a run-through of some of the trickier questions before we went on the air. That made us both look good! In the last year or so I've done eight media interviews and am really, really excited to be interviewed by Lynda again.

Let me know what you think of the interview.

Wills Week 2009 is coming up!

This year, as in almost every year since 2002, I will be giving a public seminar on Wills, Enduring Powers of Attorney and Personal Directives.

Date: Thursday, October 8
Time: 6:30 pm
Place: Whitemud Library, Whitemud Crossing, Edmonton
Cost: Free!

It's part of a week-long event called Wills Week, which is sponsored by the Edmonton Community Foundation. Other Wills lawyers will be giving public seminars that week as well, in other venues around Edmonton and area. You will see advertisements soon in the local newspapers. The idea is to provide the public with accurate, up-to-date informaton about estae planning.

If you get a chance to come hear me, or any of the other excellent speakers during Wills Week, please come on out. You'll hear tons of information, take home hand-outs and other useful materials and get a chance to ask questions one-on-one. I've given this seminar at the Whitemud Library twice before and both times the room was completely full, so please arrive nice and early to ensure that you'll get a seat.

I'll have my assistant with me, so you'll have a chance to buy my book from her at a discounted price. I'll be making a donation to the Edmonton Community Foundation for each book sold. You'll also be able to get a free coupon that will give you 15% off anything you buy from Self-Counsel Press's website.