In this issue - #165 November 30, 2012

Why did you become a lawyer?

I didn't know what to do with my Bachelor of Arts degree. One of my friends at UVic wanted someone to write the LSAT with him. I wrote it, did reasonably well, and UBC Law accepted me!

Pushor Mitchell is pleased to welcome Katy Williams to the firm and to Kelowna. Katy practices in the areas of Business Law and Civil Litigation.

Thank you very much to everyone who participated in our annual client survey. Over the past five years thousands of clients have responded to our survey and we really appreciate the time spent providing your feedback to us and the thoughtfulness of your comments. Key findings from the survey indicate that 88.6% of our clients rated the quality of our service as excellent and 99.1% of the respondents said they would refer us to someone else. We are very pleased to receive such positive results and intend on continuing to work hard to keep our clients satisfied.

Pushor Mitchell is pleased to announce that Paul Mitchell was recently the recipient of a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. The medal was created to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne and was awarded to Canadians to honour their contributions and achievements.

On November 13, 2012, Canada Revenue Agency announced new disclosure obligations for developers and builders which require particular information and statements to be included in purchase and sale agreements and statements of adjustments for the purchase and sale of new housing.

Researchers who identified brain changes in people with post-concussion syndrome say their findings may lead to improved detection and treatment of the disorder.

Leaving a charitable donation in your Will can be a wonderful way to benefit a charity that has meant a great deal to you during your lifetime. It gives the testator a really ‘feel good’ last word, and an opportunity to say ‘thank you’ for all the great work that charities do for our community.

Family farms have historically received favourable tax treatment under several different taxing statutes. For policy reasons, legislators have sought to facilitate transfers of the family farm amongst family members. One such taxing statute that provides favourable tax treatment is British Columbia’s Property Transfer Tax Act.

It has been almost three years since I wrote Family Law Christmas and it is the article about which I get the most comments from my clients. With that in mind, I thought it time to write another pre-emptive article with the same theme.

As a divorce and family law lawyer, I am often asked by clients whether or not they are legally separated.  When two people who have been living together as a married couple or in a marriage-like relationship (in the case of common-law spouses) cease living together, they are separated.  There is actually no such thing as a “legal separation”.

We've come a long way from the 19 bed hospital that opened in 1908; with the addition of the six-storey Centennial Building, UBC Clinical Academic Campus, and the Dr. Walter Anderson Building, our hospital is growing to meet our community's needs.

From Our Business Law Group – Negotiated and successfully completed a multi-million dollar asset sale on behalf of a helicopter company, which included assignments of federal leases, licenses and air operator certificates.

Find out more about our Business Law Group: http://www.pushormitchell.com/service/business-law

Who needs to go to law school anyway?

In a recent survey touting the success of some famous law school dropouts, Above the Law’s Staci Zaretsky assures us that “if you were to drop out, you’d be in some pretty good company.”