Mr. Brian Schnurr

This oral history interview with Brian Schnurr covers his extensive career as an estates litigation lawyer in Toronto from 1974 to 2003. Schnurr discusses his education at University of Toronto Law School, his articling and early career at Blaney Pasternak, and his transition to founding his own specialized estates litigation practice in 1982. He provides detailed insights into the evolution of estate law, including the abolition of succession duties, the introduction of the Succession Law Reform Act (1977), and the impact of the Substitute Decisions Act (1995).

Schnurr offers valuable perspectives on the transformation of Ontario’s court system, particularly the evolution from separate Surrogate Courts to the unified Superior Court system, and discusses the benefits and drawbacks of judicial specialization in estate matters. He extensively covers the introduction of mandatory mediation in estate disputes and its significant impact on practice, noting a 95% success rate in estate mediations. The interview also explores practical aspects of estate practice, including will drafting, capacity assessments, the use of video recording for client interviews, and the challenges posed by probate fee avoidance strategies.

Throughout the interview, Schnurr discusses several significant cases from his practice, including the Leung Estate (powers of attorney obligations), Granot v. Hersen (conflicts of law), the Prassada forgery case, and Fox v. Fox Estate (trustee encroachment issues). He also describes his pro bono work with HIV/AIDS clients and his contributions to legal literature through his books on estate litigation and annotated estate statutes. The interview provides a comprehensive view of the evolution of estate law practice in Ontario over three decades.

This description was written by AI and may contain some inaccuracies.