Canadian Lawyer

w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m O C T O B E R 2 0 1 6 45 For example, people who remain perfectly healthy as they age may still work more slowly or find themselves less able to multi-task. "What kinds of accommodation does an employer have to give to someone who is normally aging and can't do things that they did five years ago?" she asks. Education and career opportunities A solid understanding of elder law can be a useful career asset to young lawyers and those in the middle of their careers alike. While it may affect many different areas of legal practice, Boyd argues that it is crucial to a couple in particular. "Counsel who deal with client-facing areas of the law like family law and wills and estates really do need to go out of their way to be alert to significant chan- ges like this in their practice," he says. "They must then go out and seek the education that they need to keep their professional skills up to speed." The education options are increas- ing, says Goddard, who teaches the Certificate in Elder Law at Osgoode Hall. Dalhousie, Queens and Thomp- son Rivers University all teach aspects of elder law. Aside from the liability issues involved with not understanding elderly clients, there are other, more positive reasons for lawyers to get involved in elder law, argues Goddard. "Younger lawyers tend to be inter- ested in issues like people's rights and addressing social justice or injustice," she says. "Elder law can be all about that." Others reflect her view. Occasionally, lawyers describe it as an opportunity to expand and market a legal practice more effectively, but most of the lawyers with whom Canadian Lawyer spoke describe it as more of a calling. Because there are so many frontiers and gaps in the law yet to be addressed, it also presents opportunities to those looking to blaze a trail, Goddard says. However altruistic a lawyer may feel, elder law is also a way to bolster a prac- tice by preparing for a wave of older clients, says Soden. "The lessons that they learn in elder law are applicable to whatever field of law they go into," she says, arguing that it will flow into everything from busi- ness law through to real estate. "You are going to have to learn some of these sensitivities to the issues of aging," she concludes. "These issues will affect your practice. Every practice." COUNSEL WHO DEAL WITH CLIENT-FACING AREAS OF THE LAW LIKE FAMILY LAW AND WILLS AND ESTATES REALLY DO NEED TO GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO BE ALERT TO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES…IN THEIR PRACTICE JOHN-PAUL BOYD, Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family New in this edition The eighth edition of this authoritative work includes discussions on: • The Wills and Succession Act (Alberta) and the Wills, Estates and Succession Act (British Columbia), and their impact on the law as mandated by these Acts • The new British Columbia statutory rules on abatement and encumbered property, as well as the abolition of a number of evidentiary presumptions by Alberta and British Columbia • McCorkill v. McCorkill Estate (nature of testamentary dispositions) • Celentano Estate v. Ross (testamentary gifts) • Yen Estate (formal validity of wills) • A new section on electronic wills • The differing approaches to rights on intestacy • Recent developments in such topics as conflict of laws, testamentary guardians and custodians, dependants' support, and substitute decisions © 2016 Thomson Reuters Canada Limited 00239HQ-55276-CE Rely on Oosterhoff on Wills to clarify every aspect of succession law AVAILABLE RISK-FREE FOR 30 DAYS Order online: www.carswell.com Call Toll-Free: 1-800-387-5164 In Toronto: 416-609-3800 Order # 987251-65203 $165 Softcover approx. 1250 pages July 2016 978-0-7798-7251-0 Shipping and handling are extra. Price(s) subject to change without notice and subject to applicable taxes. New Edition Oosterhoff on Wills, Eighth Edition Albert H. Oosterhoff, C. David Freedman, Mitchell McInnes, and Adam Parachin Start your research in the right direction with this classic work, thoroughly updated, rewritten and reorganized by a team of distinguished academics.

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