RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

For over 50 years our lawyers have been assisting local and international clients with all aspects of purchase, sale, finance and refinancing of residential real property, including:

  • single family dwellings
  • condominiums
  • town homes
  • strata title properties
  • new home construction
  • fractional ownership properties
  • co-operative and/or corporate ownership models
  • leasehold transfers and assignments

Our firm has a well deserved reputation for expertise and extensive knowledge in these areas and regularly works with many realtors, mortgage brokers and lenders to assist clients completing real estate transactions as seamlessly as possible.

Our lawyers also often assist in the negotiation and drafting of contracts of Purchase and Sale, building contracts, rent to own option agreements and other similar documents including co-ownership agreements and bare land trusts.

Our firm can also assist with the drafting and registration of easements and covenants on parcels of land.

Murrell & Ittah is able to assist with commercial real estate transactions, including the acquisition and sale of office buildings, industrial and commercial properties, warehouses, and apartment buildings, as well as the leasing of commercial properties. We negotiate and draft purchase agreements, perform ownership and title due diligence, and negotiate and settle loan transactions related to these types of acquisitions.

We have extensive experience acting for landlords and owners of apartments buildings, office buildings, automotive dealerships and hotels. Our lawyers have also acted for many individual and commercial borrowers in these types of operations.

MORTGAGES & LENDING

We act for both lenders and borrowers whether it be for residential, commercial or construction financing. We regularly act on behalf of both private and institutional lenders ensuring that transactions proceed in a timely, seamless and secure basis. If you are obtaining financing for a project or purchase, or are a lender, contact us to ensure your interests are best served and protected.

LEASES

Murrell & Ittah regularly acts for both landlords and tenants, and can assist with commercial leasing matters including:

  • negotiations
  • drafting and review of offers to lease
  • licenses
  • leases
  • tenancy agreements
  • rights of first refusal
  • options to renew, expand or purchase

ASSISTED REPRODUCTION & SURROGACY LAW

Mary Murrell has been practicing in the area of Assisted Reproduction and Surrogacy Law for over 10 years. She has assisted countless intended parents and surrogates with legal advice on surrogacy laws in Canada, drafting Surrogacy Agreements, Ovum Donation Agreements, Sperm Donation Agreements, and providing independent legal advice to surrogates and/or donors. She has also assisted parents with the special birth registration process that is required following a surrogacy birth in British Columbia.

WILLS & ESTATE PLANNING

Whether you are selling your business or property, transferring ownership, liquidating assets, seeking retirement, or simply planning for the future, Murrell & Ittah will assist you in planning your exit and eventual passing with the least possible tax exposure.  If you are a business owner, we will also assist you with your personal estate planning to ensure your legacy is preserved and bequeathed in accordance with your wishes.

Estate planning is the process of organizing your personal and financial affairs to be prepared in the event of disability and to arrange for the orderly transmittal of your property to your intended beneficiaries. The key is to fashion a plan specifically designed to your needs and desires. We work with our clients, taking the time necessary to ascertain those needs and desires, and to explore various ways to implement a tailor-made estate plan.

Estate planning can be complex for numerous reasons: there may be complexity due to provincial and/or federal tax laws; there may be a need to protect resources for minor children or dependent adults and to construct a mechanism for those children or dependent adults to increasingly step into the responsibility of handling their inheritance as they reach maturity; there may be a desire to protect assets from an heir’s potential creditors; there may be concern for caring for a special needs child or adult; concerns may arise due to a second marriage and the need to balance providing for one’s spouse with caring for children from an earlier marriage. Proper estate planning involves understanding a client’s unique circumstances and constructing a plan that will cover a client’s specific concerns.

A well designed estate plan should include all or some of the following documents: simple or complex wills, revocable trusts, life insurance, special needs trusts, charitable remainder trusts, powers of attorney, heath care representation agreements.  Contact us to assist you with these important matters.

ESTATE & TRUST ADMINISTRATION

Estate and trust administration is the process of concluding a decedent’s affairs and implementing the plan contained in the will or trust, or with no planning, settling the estate in accordance with the law. Conducting such an estate administration may be complicated, and require the knowledge and skill of an experienced British Columbia estate planning solicitor. There may be Capital Gains tax and/or other tax related issues that require considering advantageous tax elections, valuations of assets and investments and the filing of appropriate tax returns. There may be post-mortem planning opportunities including determining which assets to use or liquidate to fund bequests and the payment of estate expenses. There may be accountings required by the courts or by the requirements imposed by applicable legislation. In addition, where minors are involved, the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee of British Columbia must be notified and be involved. The person tasked with the administration of a trust or estate is a fiduciary with prescribed duties owed to the beneficiaries and others. Murrell & Ittah regularly acts for clients in these matters including obtaining orders for grant of probate and orders for grant of administration.

CORPORATE & COMMERCIAL

Choosing a business structure determines how your company operates and how it is taxed. Randall & Murrell will help you select the best structure to fit your personal and family income needs and wealth growth. We will also advise you on the best way to structure your business to limit personal exposure to liability and maximize control and flexibility over the flow and growth of income and capital for both the business and its shareholders with the most advantageous structure for tax purposes.

At Murrell & Ittah, our team excels at transactional work. We carefully craft the documents and contracts your business needs to run smoothly. Successful business transactions not only resolve each party’s need to close the deal efficiently, they also prove their value over time, defining commitments and performance measures. These transactions must be purposefully drafted and negotiated so as to withstand legal challenges in the event disputes or conflicts arise. Our detail-driven lawyers will painstakingly comb through every aspect of every transaction, setting your business up for continuing success.