Topics to be covered include:

  • The legal framework governing trusts and property under Ontario's Family Law Act;
  • Valuation of discretionary and contingent trust interests, including the significance of control, competing beneficiaries, and historical distributions;
  • The role of business valuators, including expert instructions, valuation assumptions, disclosure requirements, and professional judgment;
  • The treatment of trust distributions as income for support purposes and potential double-counting issues arising from equalization;
  • Relevant case law and recent judicial developments concerning trust valuation and expert evidence; and
  • Practical considerations and complex valuation scenarios, including when additional legal, estate, or tax expertise may be required.

    About this course

    • $50.00
    • 1 CPD hour
    • November 25, 2026 - 12:00 PM ET

    Instructor(s)

    Lisa Allegro

    Lisa is a partner at McCarthy Hansen & Company LLP who advises clients on a wide range of financial and parenting issues.

    Her financial practice includes matters involving high net worth clients with family-owned and closely held businesses, trusts, and estates. She also advises on complex and high-conflict parenting matters, including those involving criminal law issues.

    Lisa brings a strong quantitative background to her practice. With training in chemical engineering and business, she takes a methodical approach to financial disclosure, corporate records, and expert valuation reports, and explains complex financial information in clear, practical terms. Her work frequently involves business and share valuation, calculating income for support purposes, trust and estate issues, and corporate ownership. Where appropriate, Lisa collaborates with business valuators and accountants to analyze the financial evidence and develop a sound strategy.

    Lisa was called to the Ontario bar in 2006. She earned her J.D., M.B.A., and Bachelor of Applied Science (Chemical Engineering) from the University of Toronto. Lisa speaks regularly on professional panels and has previously been involved with the Ontario Bar Association and The Advocates’ Society. Lisa is a member of the Legal Aid Ontario panel.

    Irene Petrakis

    Irene joined the team at McCarthy Hansen & Company LLP as an associate in 2024. She has practiced exclusively in the area of family law since her call to the bar in 2017, with the exception of a short duration of practice in the area of estate law.

    Irene represents and advises clients on all facets of family law including divorce, parenting, child and spousal support, and division of property. She provides advice on marriage contracts and separation agreements and has lengthy experience in litigation in both the court system and in mediation/arbitration.

    Irene’s goal is to assist her clients in resolving their family law matters amicably through a negotiated settlement and is dedicated to finding practical resolutions in an effective manner. However, in matters where this is not possible, she is prepared to advocate diligently for her clients in court.

    Irene earned her J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in the United States and her Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto – St. Michael’s College. She is a member of the Advocates’ Society, the Canadian Bar Association and the Ontario Bar Association.