Few, if any, Edmonton lawyers invest as much time and effort in professional development as Jerry Kiriak. In the last six months alone, he has completed no fewer than five Legal Education Society of Alberta courses. A summary of each course is presented below.

Matrimonial Property Division – Including foreign property in Matrimonial Property Act claims; Unequal division based on dissipation of matrimonial assets; Section 8 factors in dividing assets; Dealing with Exempt assets (own prior to marriage as an example); Negotiating a settlement without trial (“The Art of Settling”).

Social Media – Using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. to present computer-generated evidence in Court.

Pensions – Dividing and valuing both private and public pensions as part of matrimonial Property settlements.

New Estate Administration Act – Coming into force of law in Alberta June 1, 2015 to more clearly define the role of the Personal Representative and to facilitate the timely, efficient and effective transfer of property to beneficiaries.

Summary Judgment applications – Addresses the changing law in Alberta since the Supreme Court of Canada decision in Hryniak v. Mauldin, 2014 SCC 7. It is now easier for Plaintiff’s or Defendants in some cases to apply to the court to get a final Judgment, based only on sworn written evidence and without having to run a full trial.

Estate disputes can be even more contentious than a divorce proceeding

Do you have children who get along well? Don’t assume that will continue if your Will leaves openings for disputes. “Siblings don’t always get along,” noted Mr. Kiriak. “I have seen disputes over an estate that are as bitter as any divorce I have done. One Estate case I handled took 11 years and went all the way to the Supreme Court because one sibling was unreasonable.”

Yes, Jerry reads his email

You may be surprised to learn that Mr. Kiriak can be reached by email and makes every effort to respond in a timely fashion. “Email is often the quickest way to reach me because I check it daily,” said Mr. Kiriak. “If it is a simple question, I will often answer right away.” If you don’t get an immediate response, it is probably because Mr. Kiriak is in Court or dealing with other urgent legal matters. Most often, the time constraints disappear in a day or two and you can expect a response at that time.