Overview
Jane Martin practices in the area of estate planning, family business succession planning, and estate and capacity law mediation. She advises clients in all areas of domestic and complex cross-border estate and trust matters, including planning for high-net-worth families, entrepreneurs, and artists and creators, planning for disabled family members, estate and trust administration, and the preparation of wills, trusts, and other estate planning documents. She also advises financial and investment advisors working with their clients on succession and estate planning needs.
Jane’s specialties include:
Trust and estate planning – Jane works with clients facing complex estate and business succession planning needs, advising on issues ranging from disability planning, multi-jurisdictional challenges, complex collections, intellectual property rights and concerns related to family complexity and conflict.
Trust and estate administration – Jane has expertise in relation to estate and trust including the delivery of expert guidance for trust administration, tax and reporting obligations, and facilitating communications between trustees and beneficiaries to prevent conflict and delay.
Trust and estate mediation – Jane has extensive training and experience mediating highly contentious estate and trust disputes. Her experience as a litigator and as a planner, along with her emotional intelligence, brings a level of practicality and empathy well suited to assisting in the resolution of high conflict intergenerational disputes.
Thought leadership
- Co-presenter, The Annotated Will, Law Society of Upper Canada, 2017 - 2022
- “Joint Ownership and Family Transactions” Scary Professionalism Issues for the Real Estate Practitioner, Ontario Bar Association, October 2019
- Co-presenter, Conference “Eldercaring Co-ordination: Family Conflict Has No Borders”, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, 2019
- Co-author, “Diffusing the Conflict in Contentious Estate and Capacity Matters” Key Developments in Estates and Trusts Law in Ontario, 2017-2018 Edition (Toronto: Thomson Reuters, 2018).
- Conciliation and Arbitration Board (“CAB”) Knowledge Symposium, “Mediating Elder Law Disputes, Challenges and Tips”, AGA Khan Foundation, November 2018
- Co-presenter, “What can parenting co-ordination teach us about de-escalating intergenerational family conflict?”, Law Society of Ontario Estates Summit, October 2018
- “Mediation Bootcamp: Preparing Clients for Mediation”, Ontario Bar Association, September 2018
- Co-presenter, “An Intergenerational Model of Conflict Resolution for Families with Ageing Person”, International Federation on Aging, August 2018
- Co-presenter, “Civility in Civil Litigation”, Commons Institute, 2017
- Co-presenter, “Ethics in a Nutshell Program”, Toronto Lawyers Association, 2017
- “A Litigation Miscellany: notable cases of 2015”, Ontario Bar Association Annual Institute, 2016
- “Older Clients and Decisional Capacity”, Law and the Older Adult Client, Ontario Bar Association, 2016
- Co-author, "“How Separation and Divorce Impact Wills and Beneficiary Designations”, Ontario Bar Association, 2016
- Co-presenter, "Wills and Estates Fundamentals", practice skills workshop, Canadian Bar Association, 2015
- “Evidentiary issues in Estate Litigation”, Estates Essentials, Toronto Lawyers Association, 2013
- “Dependants Support Claims: Orders for Directions and Interim Support Orders”, The Dependant’s Support Application: from Notice of Application to Trial, Ontario Bar Association
- “Update on Costs & the Rules of Civil Procedure”, OBA Annual Institute, 2011
- “Orders for Directions, Making the best use of preliminary orders in Estate Litigation”, Estates Litigation: A primer, Ontario Bar Association
Community involvement
- Director at Large, Estate Planning Council of Toronto, 2023 - present
- Ontario Bar Association Past Chair, Trusts & Estates Section Executive & Governing Council member at large; secretary Elder Law Section. Member of OBA governing council, National Council of Canadian Bar Association, 2000 - present
- Volunteer Knitter, KAS Project, 2007 - present
- Mentor, Women's Law Association & Ontario Bar Association, 2021-2022
- Chair, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Association for Conflict Resolution and Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (U.S.), 2016-2019
- Wills Project Lead, Pro Bono Students of Canada, 2011-2019
- Member, Foundation Committee, Casey House, 2013-2017
- Member, End of Life Working Group, Joint CBA/OBA Initiative, 2015
- Member, Board of Directors, Eden Community Homes, 2007-2009
- Chair, Board of Directors & Programmes Committee, West Toronto Community Legal Services, 2000-2007
Professional memberships
- Canadian Bar Association, Toronto Estate Planning Council
Bar admissions & education
- Ontario, 2004
- Mediating of Disputes, Negotiation and leadership programs, Harvard Law School
- Executive Certificate in Conflict Management, University of Windsor, Faculty of Law
- Bachelor of Arts, University of Toronto, 1993
