As soon as a foreign jurisdiction is involved in an estate matter, the future testator and his or her beneficiaries are confronted with a complex set of problems.
Very likely, national estate laws with mutually excluding provisions will apply. Early consultation with our legal team will allow the testator to avoid an unwanted statutory succession by making a Last Will. In this context, it should be noted that foreign jurisdictions will frequently recognize Last Wills only if certain requirements are met.
Once a testator has died, the issue of a certificate of inheritance arises. Occasionally, a testator will leave behind a community of heirs; due to the large distances, Canadian co-heirs are often faced with communication problems that hamper their ability to come to effective decisions. In such cases, we will assist you with our cooperating law firms in Germany.
In view of the impending increase of the German estate tax, we invite you to make use of our solid experience in the area of legacies given in advance. We will be pleased to advise you on these matters.