Laura E. West

Partner
Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP

Laura E. West

Laura E. West

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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

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J.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 

 


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