Laura E. West
Partner
Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Related services and key industries
Biography
Laura West is engaged in a general practice in the areas of wealth management, estates, trusts, charity and not-for-profit law. She advises clients on wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare representation agreements, charitable giving, family business succession planning, corporate re-organizations and estate administration, as well as the establishment, governance and regulation of charities and non-profit organizations.
Ms. West has taught wills and estate planning at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law as an adjunct professor and she is the co-author of Charitable Giving in Canada. She has lectured and written frequently on estate planning, charity and non-profit legal issues, including articles and presentations for the Canadian Tax Foundation, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (Canada), the Estates Trusts & Pensions Journal, the Canadian Bar Association, the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia, the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Ontario Bar Association, the Pacific Business & Law Institute, the Canadian Association of Gift Planners and others.
Ms. West has been recognized by various publications as a leading lawyer in estates and personal tax planning, and charities / not-for-profit law.
Professional experience
Collapse allJ.D., University of Toronto, 2004
B.A., University of Toronto, 2001
- British Columbia 2014
- Ontario 2005
- Best Lawyers in Canada: Trusts and Estates, 2012-2025
- Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, 2016-2024: recommended in Charities/Not-For-Profit Law, Estate & Personal Tax Planning
- Chambers High Net Worth Guide, Private Wealth Law - Canada, Chambers and Partners, 2017-2024
- Member, "Private Client Team of the Year" (mid-size firm category), 2016/2017 STEP Private Client Awards
- "Charitable Giving Involving Trusts," Canadian Association of Gift Planners, 25th National Conference, April 11, 2018.
- "Tailoring the Philanthropic Discussion," Victoria Estate Planning Council and Canadian Association of Gift Planners (Vancouver Island Chapter), March 13, 2018.
- "Private Company Tax Changes – Estate Planning Implications" (co-presenter), Vancouver Estate Planning Council, October 24, 2017.
- "Drafting and Using Powers of Appointment," Pacific Business & Law Institute, Trusts 2017: Planning for Effective Planning, June 26, 2017.
- "The Will," Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia conference, Basics of Wills and Estate Planning 2017, May 18, 2017.
- “Trust and Estate Law Update,” (co-presenter), Society of Estates and Trusts Practitioners/Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia Estate Planning Conference Day, October 27, 2016.
- “Estate Planning: Where are we now?” (co-presenter), Canadian Tax Foundation British Columbia Tax Conference, September 20, 2016.
- “Estate Planning Tools and Techniques,” Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia conference, Wealth Preservation and Succession for the Family Enterprise, May 6, 2016.
- “Top Compliance Issues for Foundations and Other Legal Developments,” Canadian Foundations & Endowments Forum West, March 7, 2016.
- “2016 Update: Gifting and Charitable Donations in Advance Care and Estate Planning” (co-presenter), Osgoode Hall Law School Professional Development Program Elder Law Webinar Series, March 31, 2016.
- Canadian Bar Association
- Canadian Association of Gift Planners
- Canadian Tax Foundation
- Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners
News
Norton Rose Fulbright receives top rankings in Chambers High Net Worth 2024 Guide
July 18, 2024
Canadian, US private wealth, trusts and estates lawyers earn top rankings in Chambers High Net Worth 2023 Guide
July 19, 2023
191 lawyers recognized in 17th edition of the Best Lawyers in CanadaTM
August 25, 2022
Insights
Private wealth, trusts and estates
Publication | June 2023
Varying wills under BC law: your word may not be the last word
Publication | June 08, 2023
Trust basics
Publication | June 08, 2023