Michelle Isaak

Michelle Isaak stands out in the legal landscape as a dedicated partner, focusing her practice on personal wealth management. Her expertise spans a broad spectrum of services including estate and trust planning, adult guardianship, capacity planning, and the administration of estates and trusts. With a keen eye for detail, Michelle crafts personalized estate plans, balancing tax implications, succession plans, and family dynamics. She is adept at guiding clients through the intricacies of wills, powers of attorney, and the establishment of various trusts, ensuring smooth transitions for blended families and business succession plans.

Her work also extends to supporting executors, trustees, and beneficiaries through the complex processes of estate and trust administration. Michelle's proficiency includes navigating the challenges of asset and trust management in a tax-efficient way, mediating trustee and beneficiary disputes, and facilitating the formal passing of accounts in the B.C. Supreme Court.

Michelle's acumen is particularly noted in her handling of complex cases, such as managing estates with assets across different jurisdictions, Indigenous estates under the Indian Act, insolvent estates, and situations where a beneficiary is implicated in the death of the deceased.

Beyond her practice, Michelle's commitment to the legal community shines through her volunteer work with the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia. Her roles include serving on the editorial board for the BC Probate and Estate Administration Practice Manual, contributing to the BC Estate Planning and Wealth Preservation Practice Manual, and sharing her knowledge as a speaker at numerous conferences and webinars.

Her contributions to the legal field have not gone unnoticed. Since 2018, Michelle has been recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada for her excellence in Trusts and Estates, earning the title of “Lawyer of the Year” for Trusts and Estates in Vancouver in 2019. Lexpert® also acknowledges her as a leading practitioner in estate and tax planning.

Admitted to the Bar in British Columbia in 2004, Michelle's educational background includes an LL.B. from the University of British Columbia (2002) and a B.Comm. from McGill University (1990). Her accolades include consistent listings in the Best Lawyers in Canada from 2018 to 2024 and recognition in the Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory for Estate & Personal Tax Planning from 2020 to 2023.