John Ellis

Background

About John Ellis

Client empathic, proactive and professional self-starter with superior attention to detail while collaborating dynamically with lawyers, clients, colleagues and industry professionals to achieve common goals in a fast-paced legal environment. Ability to reprioritize on a dime, ensuring client/lawyer deadlines are always met or exceeded, while adapting to the various nuances of individual lawyers’ preferences. Skilled in all aspects of the full estate administration process, from first contact to drafting final reports, including- correspondence with financial institutions for date-of-death asset values- accurate valuation of estates, including a solid understanding of what assets can pass through/outside the estate- scheduling client/lawyer appointments- drafting/preparation of Probate application documents (with a will or intestate), and filing physically or electronically with a high success rate of issued Certificates of Appointment- transferring ownership/disposing of real property (Survivorship applications, Transmissions and Transfers)- drafting of correspondence to beneficiaries, including Notices of applications, and Distribution/Accounting/Release related documents- Estate accounting (formal of informal), and proposed distributions (interim and final) to beneficiaries- Preparation and filing of Estate Information Returns- Pre-billing and invoicing; and - Interim and final reporting. Proficient in drafting legal documents including affidavits, undertakings, directions and releases, in addition to excelling at written and verbal correspondence with clients, estate trustees, beneficiaries and Ontario Superior Court officials. Skilled in use of all Office programs, Adobe, Estateably, Emergent and Teraview, while using technology to streamline processes, including DocuSign and online meeting apps. Experienced in Wills and Powers of Attorney vault management with a solid understanding of who lawyers/clerks can speak with regarding sensitive information contained in estate planning documents.