Meet Candace Cho, Estate Litigation Lawyer at Onyx Law Group

Candace Cho, KC, is a co-founder and principal lawyer at Onyx Law Group, where she leads the estate litigation practice. A self-described law nerd, she is drawn to the way estate law overlaps with trust law, equity, corporations, and family law, and to the very human problems that sit underneath every file.

Estate litigation usually means a dispute among family members after the loss of a loved one, and Candace sees her role as taking weight off her clients during a hard time — explaining the process in plain terms and helping them find some agency in it. Read more on her bio page, or learn how the firm handles Vancouver estate litigation.

How Candace can help

• Guide families through an estate dispute during a period of grief, and explain each step in language that makes sense.
• Prepare every file as though it will go to trial, even though most estate matters settle.
• Bring a creative, persistent approach to settlement discussions, always grounded in the merits of the case.

Full transcript

You've been practicing estate litigation for a long time. What keeps you interested in this area of law? I think a combination of the interesting facts, the interesting law, and just the ability for me to make a difference in somebody's life in a tangible way. The facts are always really interesting because it's dealing with real families and real problems, and so there's this human level of interest that really speaks to me. And the law itself is so complicated and so interesting. I'm a law nerd at heart, and I just love the intersections of estate law with trust law, with equity, with corporations and family law, all mixed up together in this beautiful, complex web that I love delving into. And then at the end of the day, it's practical, because people have real-world problems that I can use my knowledge to assist them with, and that feels really good, as my superpower.

Estate litigation usually involves a dispute between family members after the loss of a loved one. How do you help your clients navigate this difficult time? Well, it's a period of mourning, which is always difficult, and people are emotional, and a lot of times past hurts that they thought had been put to bed get dragged back into the forefront, which is very difficult. So it's an emotional time. They're having a hard time as it is. So my job, I feel, is to help them offload as much stress as they can in a situation where they're completely unfamiliar with the legal landscape. I want to be the professional that comes alongside them, explain things in a way that's tangible to them, explain things in a way that's accessible to them, help them find agency in making decisions, understanding what the process is, understanding what their options are, understanding what the strategy is, help develop strategy together, and ultimately just feel good about the outcome.

What skill or practice do you have that makes you particularly good at settlement discussions? I'm very creative, and I don't give up, so I think that's a really good combination. I always settle files under the shadow of the law, always based on the merits. So rest assured, even though most estate litigation files in general don't make it to court, it doesn't mean that we don't prepare as if we're going to court. It doesn't mean that we don't turn over all the issues and do our investigations to figure out what's the best angle for you to get your best results. Even if you don't end up going to trial, the truth comes out to a certain extent, and we're able to negotiate and come up with a settlement that resolves the dispute between the parties. How do you manage your practice to keep legal fees as low as possible? I try to be as efficient and effective as possible. I have a wonderful team at my disposal. Everybody I mentor, I take mentorship very seriously, and it is a value within the firm, and we're expected to help each other out. There's an Onyx standard that you can expect with any file that comes across our table. I'm involved on the high level for all the files within the estate litigation practice. I participate in all the strategy. I show up to a lot of the mediations. If it goes to trial, then if the client requires me, I will be there for them. Every client should feel really comfortable with the level of service that they're getting, because we all work together and we all practice with high standards, and I'm there to keep quality control.

If you are facing an estate dispute and want to understand your options, Candace and the Onyx team are here to help. Book a consultation.