Bree Hankins

B.A., LL.B.

SHAREHOLDER
*Legal Services provided by a Law Corporation

Bree Hankins is one of our shareholders, and an experienced trial lawyer Pihl Law Litigation Team. Her practice is focused on two key areas: family law and estate litigation.

Bree provides clients with assistance on all types of family matters including:

• Drafting and/or advising on marriage agreements and cohabitation agreements;
• Helping parties navigate a divorce or separation;
• Assisting parties with obtaining a divorce;
• Drafting separation agreements; and
• Litigation dealing with division of property and/or support issues.

Bree is an accredited Family Law Mediator and a qualified Collaborative Divorce Practitioner.

Bree’s experience in complex family matters has given her a unique ability to assist clients who are dealing with difficult and often emotional disputes with family members, following the death or incapacity of a family member.

In her active estates litigation practice, Bree advises clients in a number of areas, including:

• Applications to become a committee for a loved one who no longer has capacity;
• Assisting executors and administrators with contentious estate administration matters, including assisting with the negotiation between beneficiaries who are in dispute or have questions about the estate;
• Advising children who have been left out of the Will;
• Advising a spouse (married or common law) who has been left out of the Will;
• Advising executors when someone is challenging the terms of a Will;
• Applications to vary a Will under the Wills, Estates and Succession Act R.S. B.C 2009, c. 13;
• Advising family members when there is a concern about the level of influence a sibling or spouse has over their parent;
• Advising clients that have concerns about assets that have been transferred outside of an estate (such as a joint bank account or other property) to a family member, spouse or friend;
• Disputes about capacity of a will maker to make a Will; and
• Applications to the court to prove a Will.

Business clients benefit from Bree’s skilled guidance in her commercial litigation practice. She helps various stakeholders involved in disputes with other companies, shareholders, or directors, and offers a wide range of experience in determining complex commercial resolutions.

Bree has appeared regularly in mediations and before the Provincial and Supreme Court of British Columbia and is a strong advocate for her clients both in and out of court. She is committed to finding the best solution for her clients, either through obtaining a favourable settlement, or by presenting the case to the Court.

In her spare time, Bree enjoys volunteering and sits on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Mental Health Association, Kelowna Branch. In addition, she sits on the Board of Directors for Dress for Success Kelowna. She is also the Co-Chair of the Okanagan Collaborative Family Law Group.

She also enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, dancing in a Zumba class, and curling at the Kelowna Curling Club.