Kimberly (Kim) A. Whaley is one of Canada’s premier litigator/ lawyer in the practice areas of litigation and mediation of estate, trust and capacity proceedings, power of attorney, guardianship matters and elderly law. Kim is the founding partner of the law firm, Whaley Estate Litigation Partners (WEL Partners). Above all else, Kim is a highly regarded teacher/mentor.
Long before I met Kim in person, I had heard about a speech she had given that caught my attention. It was on the topic of the fractured family which is quickly becoming the norm – it was at a Law Society of Upper Canada conference. Kim’s presentation spoke directly to the issue of estate litigation in complex, blended and fractured families. She had stated that traditional blood-related families have well aligned interests which is not the case in the fractured family. In fact, she suggests in these families there are no longer a need for personal conflict to set parties against each other. After hearing of this speech and her recommended remedies, I wrote an article referencing Kim and her presentation for my column in LexisNexis’ CPA trade paper - The Bottom Line.
I finally met Kim in person when she was the 2013, Chair of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners’ of the Toronto Chapter. However, it was through our involvement in the Estate Planning Council of Toronto that I really began to appreciate Kim’s true professional expertise. What first struck me about Kim is she is very collegial with her peers and is passionate about the area of estate law that she and her firm practice and excel in.
When I was a university instructor teaching estate planning, I found reading the books that Kim had either written or co-authored very valuable for future and current trust and estate planning practitioners. Such as her - "Key Developments in Estate and Trust Law in Ontario.” Her chapter in "Passings of Accounts,” and her book - “Capacity to Marry and the Estate Plan.”
I have a deep appreciation and admire the time Kim has committed to giving back to both the legal and estate and trust professional communities by teaching the next generation of lawyers at Queen's University and the University of Toronto, as well as Osgoode, and her many contributions to continuing legal educational programs for these professionals across Canada and North America.
Kimberly A. Whaley is a committed Trust and Estate Litigation Lawyer that both her colleagues and clients continually benefit from by having her on their team. Everyone that has worked with Kim is a better professional and a satisfied client knowing that she gives 100% of her mentorship and expertise in everything that she has committed herself to.