British Columbia’s Family Law and Estate Lawyers

Onyx is a group of highly effective, compassionate lawyers and paralegals. We are skilled negotiators, trusted advisors, and fierce advocates. The Onyx team has robust credentials, qualifications and experience, placing us among the most respected and accomplished legal professionals in the fields of Estate Law and Family Law in British Columbia.

We take pride in the successes we achieve for our clients, whether inside or outside of a courtroom. We’re also very proud of our contributions to furthering legal knowledge in British Columbia. Our lawyers regularly author insightful papers and articles, contribute to publications, boards and committees, and lecture on issues in the niche areas of family, estates and trusts law. We’re committed to raising awareness of important legal issues and pushing the development of the law in a better direction.

We have a thoroughly established reputation for providing exceptional legal representation and personalized service to our clients. Some of our notable results include:

Sangha v. Sangha: Onyx Law Group’s Vancouver estate lawyers represented the executor of an estate in successfully claiming for relief on the basis of unjust enrichment, resulting in a judgment in the amount of $400,000 in favour of the estate.

Hancock v. Hancock: Substantial variation awarded to disinherited children who were represented by Onyx lawyers in this wills variation action. Significant gifts given to children who had good relationships with the testator before the testator’s death were found not to be a valid reason to exclude those children from the testator’s Last Will and Testament.

R.P. Johnson Family Trust (Trustees of) v. Johnson: Onyx counsel represented parties in securing much-needed assistance from the court in determining which family members qualify as beneficiaries of a trust. The court’s notable decision in this matter has been relied on in other cases involving the interpretation of wills and trusts.

Sevy v. Sevy: Family dispute over the manner in which trustees administered a trust and dealt with the trust’s assets. Certain property transfers executed by the trustee were found to be breaches of trust. The court ordered the property restored to the trust, removed two trustees, and appointed an independent trustee to act in the interest of all beneficiaries, including Onyx’s client.

Volovsek v. Boisvenu Alter‐Ego Trust #1: Successful appeal reducing damages for trespass from $100,000 to nominal damages of $2,500 in a case involving disputed possession of a Vancouver condominium after the death of its owner. The long-time partner of the deceased condo owner was represented on appeal by Candace Cho in this estate litigation matter.

A.S.N. v K.E.K: Notable and oft-cited case in which Onyx’s Judith Janzen advocated for the mother of a four‑and‑a‑half-year‑old child in a vaccination dispute. The father of the child wanted sole decision-making authority with respect to medical treatments, including vaccines. The court concluded that it was in the child’s best interests to receive vaccinations as recommended by the public health system.

Whether you need help navigating estate litigation, a family law dispute, or the probate process, or you need guidance with estate planning, our team is here to guide you through the legal process and protect your rights and interests. We are committed to achieving the best possible outcomes in every legal situation we handle.

Past results are not indicative of future outcomes; every case turns on its own facts.