Office location:

45 St. Clair Ave. West, Suite 600, Toronto, ON, M4V 1K9

Year founded:

2005

Number of employees:

3 partners, 8 lawyers

Phone:

(416) 925 7400

Email:

kim@welpartners.com

Website:

welpartners.com

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/company/whaley-estate-litigation

Spokesperson, AXA XL

Whaley Estate Litigation Partners (WEL Partners)

Kimberly A. Whaley, CS, TEP, LLM

Founder and Managing Partner

Bryan Gilmartin

Partner

David Morgan Smith

Partner

Leadership

Kimberly A. Whaley, CS, TEP, LLM, is the founding and managing partner of Whaley Estate Litigation Partners (WEL Partners), an estate, trust, and related matters dispute resolution firm based in Toronto. Kimberly both litigates and mediates estate, trust and related disputes. Whaley is a TEP, a full member of STEP Canada, and an elected Canadian Representative on STEP Worldwide Council, as well as a member of the STEP Mental Capacity Steering Committee. She is designated as a Certified Specialist in Estates & Trusts Law by the Law Society of Ontario. Whaley has been consistently peer-selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in Canada, and Chambers High Net Worth, Private Wealth Disputes in Canada. She is a Distinguished Fellow of the Canadian Centre for Elder Law and a member of the Canadian Academy of Distinguished Neutrals. She was recently honoured with the Ontario Bar Association’s Award of Excellence in Trusts and Estates Law.

Founder and Managing Partner

Kimberly A. Whaley, CS, TEP, LLM

Bryan Gilmartin is a partner at WEL Partners, where he practises exclusively in the areas of estate, trust, power or attorney, capacity, and guardianship litigation. He is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, the Baycrest Foundation Professional Advisory Group, and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He also currently sits as a member-at-large on the Ontario Bar Association Elder Law Executive Committee and Alternative Dispute Resolution Executive Committee. Gilmartin came to the practice area honestly. Growing up an only child in a small town in northern Ontario, he lived and worked in the family funeral home alongside his mother and father. At a young age, he was immersed in the sensitivities, tragedies, and emotions that accompany death. He also had the opportunity to learn how to navigate the challenges of running a small business.

Partner

Bryan Gilmartin

David M. Smith joined Rodney Hull, KC and Ian M. Hull in their estate litigation counsel practice in September 1997. In August 1998, Rodney and Ian, together with David as associate, founded Hull & Hull LLP. In January 2006, David became a partner. David also maintains a mediation practice through Hull Estate Mediation Inc. He was an instructor at the Ontario Bar Admission Course (Estates and Trusts) from 1998 to 2005. He is a frequent guest lecturer for both Law Society of Upper Canada and Ontario Bar Association programs. He has had numerous decisions reported in Estate and Trusts Reports and has authored numerous papers. He has an LL.B from Queen’s University and an Honours BA from the University of Western Ontario. He was called to the bar in 1994 and completed the Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop at Osgoode Hall Law School in 1998. David is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, the Ontario Bar Association Trusts and Estates Section, and the Toronto Lawyers Association. He was chosen by LawDay as one of the top 60 estate and trust lawyers in Canada for 2009. He is also included in The Best Lawyers in Canada (2009) in the area of Trusts and Estates.

Partner

David Morgan Smith

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Heather Fisher

Partner

Heather Fisher has been practising law since 2002 and became a partner with Horne Coupar LLP in January 2007. She practises primarily in the areas of estate and trust litigation, elder law including contested committeeship applications, estate and incapacity planning, and estate and trust administration.

Partner

Heather Fisher

Paula Bosenberg

Partner

Paula Bosenberg’s practice focuses on business and personal succession planning to ensure that assets are protected during a client’s lifetime and transferred to the next generation in a tax-efficient, orderly manner.

Partner

Paula Bosenberg

Whaley Estate Litigation Partners (WEL Partners) is a Toronto-based trusts and estates litigation boutique practising exclusively in estate-related matters. WEL Partners advises estate trustees, trustees, attorneys, guardians, and fiduciaries on their duties and obligations arising both at common law and legislatively. WEL Partners focuses on opinions, dispute resolution, litigation and mediation of estate, trust and related matters, including related issues of undue influence, decisional capacity, fraud, forgery, suspicious circumstances and technical breaches respecting testamentary instruments and advises on wills, estates, trusts, gifts, powers of attorney, guardianship, financial abuse, predatory marriage, elder abuse, end-of-life treatment decisions, medical assistance in dying, and elder law.

Spokesperson, AXA XL

Caroline Deane

Partner

Zoe Xie

Head of Property Underwriting, Singapore

Brian Yang

Head of Claims, Singapore

Liane Brown

Partner

Caroline Deane’s practice focuses on assisting clients with wills, corporate trusts, and estate planning needs with an emphasis on taxation. She is also counsel to a number of non-profit organizations and charities assisting them with starting up to winding down and a multitude of issues experienced in between.

Partner

Caroline Deane

Zoe Xie is the head of property underwriting for Singapore and interim head of China at AXA XL, where she oversees underwriting strategy and drives business growth across Asia and the Middle East. Previously, she served as client and distribution leader for Asia, managing key accounts, distribution channels and fostering synergies with other AXA entities. Prior to joining AXA XL, Xie developed her expertise at WTW in London and Singapore, specialising in complex property and casualty broking, following earlier roles in sales and marketing. She holds a BSc in Mathematics and Statistics for Finance from Imperial College London and an Executive MBA from the National University of Singapore.

Head of Property Underwriting, Singapore

Zoe Xie

With over 16 years of specialised experience, Brian Yang is a seasoned claims professional who leads the South East Asia Claims Team across all lines of business. He has a proven track record in strategic claims management, risk assessment and dispute resolution. Yang is also responsible for driving technical excellence in energy, property and construction claims throughout Asia and the Middle East, ensuring the highest standards in handling large and complex claims while delivering optimal outcomes for clients and stakeholders. Passionate about fostering collaboration and operational efficiency, Yang is dedicated to developing industry best practices. Prior to joining AXA XL, he worked as a loss adjuster with leading global firms.

Head of Claims, Singapore

Brian Yang

Liane Brown is committed to representing individuals who have suffered serious personal injuries and to families who have suffered the loss of a loved one. Her practice concentrates on personal injury law, including accident benefits, motor vehicle collisions, medical malpractice, occupiers’ liability, product liability and wrongful death cases.

Partner

Liane Brown

Partner

Liane Brown

Ben Irantalab enjoys the complexities of personal injury litigation. His practice is exclusively devoted to representing clients with brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and severe orthopedic injuries. For him, the cases that require special creativity and thinking outside the box are the most gratifying.

Partner

Ben Irantalab

On a larger scale, HSH handles class action and mass tort lawsuits representing groups of people injured by dangerous products, medications, medical devices, and negligent organizations. The HSH team is known for providing caring and attentive service to clients, and is proud of the firm’s excellent reputation within the legal and medical communities.

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