Building trust, one family at a time since 1987
Look, we've been doing this long enough to know that nobody really wants to think about estate planning. But here's the thing - the families who come to us aren't just checking boxes. They're making sure their kids won't be fighting in some courtroom five years down the road. That's what keeps us showing up every day.
Margaret Grimspire hung her shingle after spending way too many years at a downtown firm that treated clients like file numbers. Her pitch was simple: estate planning shouldn't feel like you're planning your own funeral. Started with a desk, a phone, and honestly way more confidence than she probably should've had.
Brought on two junior associates because Margaret was basically drowning in referrals. Turns out when you actually listen to people and don't talk down to them, they tell their friends. Wild concept, right? Moved to Bay Street - not because we wanted to be fancy, just needed more space.
We'd been doing a bit of everything, but estate and trust work? That's where we really clicked. Started focusing exclusively on that. Some folks thought we were crazy narrowing our practice, but honestly it let us get really good at what we do instead of being mediocre at everything.
Margaret's daughter Victoria joined as partner. Yeah, it's a family thing now - kind of fitting for an estate planning firm, don't you think? She brought fresh perspectives on succession planning for modern businesses while keeping that same no-nonsense approach Margaret started with.
Still in that same Suite 802, though we've expanded into the suite next door. We've helped over 2,000 families figure out their estate plans without the usual legal jargon headaches. We're not the biggest firm, and that's kinda the point. We know our clients' names, their kids' names, sometimes even their dogs' names.
Founding Partner
Margaret's been at this for 38 years now, which means she's seen just about every family situation you can imagine - and some you probably can't. Started her career at a big corporate firm but got tired of the whole "billable hours at all costs" mentality.
She's got her LL.B. from Osgoode Hall, became a Certified Specialist in Estates and Trusts Law back in '94. But what really matters? She's sat with hundreds of families during their toughest times and helped them figure out plans that actually work for their specific situations.
Outside the office, she's usually hiking somewhere in Algonquin or trying to keep up with her four grandkids. Says they're the best reminder of why this work matters.
Partner
Victoria grew up watching her mom help families navigate estate planning, so yeah, she knew what she was getting into. Did her J.D. at U of T, then spent five years at a mid-size firm handling corporate succession planning before joining the family practice in 2018.
She specializes in business succession - helping entrepreneurs figure out how to pass their life's work to the next generation without creating family drama or tax nightmares. Also really into trust administration, which she admits sounds boring but is actually kinda fascinating when you get into it.
Speaks Mandarin fluently, which has been super helpful for our growing client base in Toronto's Chinese-Canadian community. When she's not working, she's probably rock climbing or testing out new restaurants in the city with her husband.
These aren't just words we stuck on a website. This is how we actually run things. Margaret's always said that if you can't explain something to a client in plain English, you probably don't understand it well enough yourself. We've built the whole practice around that idea.
Here's the thing - estate planning isn't really about documents and tax strategies. I mean, yeah, those are important, but what we're actually doing is helping families avoid future pain. We've seen what happens when someone doesn't plan properly. The fighting, the confusion, the resentment that can last for decades.
So when you sit down with us, we're not just filling out forms. We're asking questions like "What do you actually want to happen?" and "Have you thought about how your kids might react to this?" Sometimes those conversations get uncomfortable, but that's kinda the point. Better to hash it out now than leave your family to figure it out while they're grieving.
We've built this firm on the idea that good estate planning should feel like you're taking care of your family, not planning for the worst. Because really, that's exactly what you're doing - making sure the people you care about are looked after, even when you can't do it yourself anymore.