Modern Wills Law

The Law Society of Alberta has a wonderful program called Mentor Express, that operates like online shopping for mentors. New lawyers can scroll through a list of possible mentors, or sort by topics of discussion like “entrepreneurship”, “law school debt”, “wellness”, all types of practice areas, and more.

I took advantage of this program to connect with firm owners when first starting my own practice, and I was so great full for the connections made. One of those connections remains an incredible mentor to me to this day. This year, I am so looking forward to participating in the program as a mentor.

If you know a young lawyer who would want to discuss building a practice that honours their values, integrating technology into their work, or really anything(!), they should check out the Law Society’s website for more info on Mentor Express. A session with me, or any of the other amazing mentors, can be booked starting October 15th!

-Britta

🎉 I’m proud to share that I recently completed the national mediation course, with 48 hours of training through the ADR Institute of Canada (via ADRIA).🎓

Almost a year ago, I started down this path with the idea that I might want to offer estate mediation services in the future. I also knew that the skills would be valuable in my practice—and in life—regardless.

But what ended up being most interesting to me is  how much the concepts of interest-based mediation align with the core values and practices we’ve already established at Modern Wills.

Interest-based mediation is about truly listening, ensuring people are heard and understood, and empowering them to make decisions they feel good about. And that’s exactly what I aim to do as an estates lawyer: empower clients to feel confident about decisions that may have previously felt daunting.

In the context of estate planning, this means listening to a client’s circumstances and goals in their words, having in-depth discussions about the options available, providing advice where appropriate … and then confirming their instructions. (I’ve never understood how you could ask for final instructions without all those important steps happening first.) 

This mediation certification has energized me to continue growing Modern Wills in the areas we have already been building. We have something really exciting we have been working on for a while. But it has also inspired me to offer more “family meeting”-type options for clients and their loved ones when appropriate. Whether it’s explaining a newly crafted estate plan to your adult children, or assisting multiple siblings with the division of personal effects during estate administration, the structure of mediation can be so useful. I’ve learned mediation need not be the formal process that many of us lawyers think of. It can be helpful before a situation even rises to the level of someone filing a claim.

-Britta

📸 by the lovely and talented

So grateful for the chance to be part of something bigger with Samir Desai and his whole RBC team last week! Serving, connecting, and giving back at Made by Momma's was an honour. In the midst of busy schedules, it's moments like these that remind us of the bigger picture. Here's to the difference we can make when we come together.

📣 Exciting News! 📣

We're thrilled to announce that Katelyne, our summer intern, is now a permanent part of our team as a part-time legal assistant! 🌟

Many of you met Katelyne over the summer and witnessed her dedication and enthusiasm. As she wraps up her policy degree at Mount Royal University and sets her sights on law school, we're excited to have her on board. Stay tuned for blogs from Katelyne on various estate planning topics and business updates!

From moving into a new office, to exploring Italy, to carrying natural wines in Portugal … modern wills totes have had a pretty great summer☀️

If you have a photo with your tote out and about, send it our way! We love to see what the totes get up to.

www.modernwills.com