Education

Bar Admission

  • 2016 Admitted to the British Columbia Bar

Aubrie Girou is a Partner at the firm and a member of our Wills, Estates + Trusts Practice Group.

Aubrie practices exclusively in the area of wills, estates + trusts, and incapacity and maintains both a solicitor’s and litigation practice. She assists clients with all aspects of contentious disputes – simple and complex – that can arise on death or incapacity including wills variation, unjust enrichment, constructive or resulting trusts, breach of fiduciary duties, committeeship applications, and accountings. She has represented clients before all levels of court in British Columbia.  Aubrie also works strategically with clients to help put in place effective wealth preservation plans for each client’s unique circumstances with an aim to avoid post-mortem conflicts.

Aubrie is a frequent presenter and a regular contributor to leading industry publications.

At Alexander Holburn, Aubrie is a member of the Women’s Forum, a group dedicated to promoting business development and networking opportunities among our female lawyers, support staff and clients.

Aubrie summered and completed articles with the firm before joining the Wills, Estates and Trusts practice group. Prior to her articles, Aubrie completed a clerkship with the British Columbia Supreme Court.

On A Personal Note...

Away from the office, Aubrie enjoys cooking, writing, and going on adventures with her husband and two children.

Representative Experience

Aubrie has represented clients before all levels of Court in British Columbia. She also has extensive experience resolving matters through formal and informal mediation processes.

Recent representative cases include:

  • Binng v. Gill, 2022 BCSC 1479
  • Unger Estate (Re), 2022 BCSC 189
  • Syukur v. Yeh, 2018 BCSC 1826
  • Re Quinn Estate, 2018 BCSC 365
  • Devore-Thompson v. Poulain, 2017 BCSC 1289

Publications

  • April 2023, “Conflict Laws in Estate Disputes”, Estate Disputes in British Columbia: A Litigator’s Guide, CLEBC BC, Contributor
  • 2023 – ongoing, “CLEBC Probate & Estate Administration Practice Manual”, Editorial Board
  • January 2023, “Trustee Act, Section 86: Little Matters of Discretion, Momentous Decisions, and the Slayer Rule”, Pacific Business and Law Institute, Speaker and Co- Chair
  • March 2022, “B.C. Bill-21 and Electronic Wills: Progressive or Problematic?” Estates Trusts & Pensions Journal, Vol. 42: No. 2, Co-Author
  • 2020 – ongoing, “Applications in the Course of Estate Administration”, CLEBC Probate & Estate Administration Practice Manual, Contributor
  • December 2019, “Gully v. Gully: A Cautionary Tale”, Estates Trusts & Pensions Journal, Vol. 39:1, Author
  • August 2018, “Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way“, BC Business, Co-author
  • 2018 – 2022, “Multi-jurisdictional Wills”, CLEBC BC Estate Planning and Wealth Preservation, Contributor
  • 2017 – ongoing, “Power of Attorney Act”, CLEBC Annotated Estates Practice, Contributor
  • 2017 – ongoing, “Supreme Court Civil Rules 25-1 to 25-16 and Related Forms”, CLEBC Annotated Estates Practice, Contributor
  • October 2017, “He Was ‘Just There’: Predatory Marriage Declared Void in BC Due to Incapacity”, LexisNexis Canadian Family Law Matters, Author
  • June 2017, “Broken Heart, Lost Trust: Trust Planning that Fails to Account for Family Realities”, LexisNexis Canadian Family Law Matters, Author
  • January 2017, “The Zombie Effect: Can Inter Vivos Estate Planning Tools Survive Death?”, Pacific Business Law Institute, Co-author

Blogs

Protecting Vulnerable Adults: The Basics of Committeeship in BC

Electronic Wills now permitted in B.C.

Lawen Estate: Nova Scotia Wills Variation Legislation Withstands Constitutional Challenge

Mom, Mom, and Dad: Identifying Legal Parentage with more than Two Parents

Proposed Changes to the Wills, Estates and Succession Act

Multiple Powers of Attorney or Wills: Ensure Your Business and Unique Assets are Well Taken Care of When You Can No Longer Take Care of Them

Severance at the Date of Death: Will Accepted as Evidence to Sever Joint Tenancy Between Spouses

Make a Will Week: 4 Reasons You Want to Make a Will

Spousal Home on First Nation Land

Risky (Estate Planning) Business: Joint Tenancies May Expose Assets to Third Party Creditor Claims

Society of Notaries Public of British Columbia v. Law Society of British Columbia: Affirming the Limits to the Legislated Authority of Notaries to Draft Wills

Executor found liable for ducking her obligations

Found Money!

Settled Property and the Issue of Photocopying Money

A Promise is a Promise: Proprietary Estoppel at the Supreme Court of Canada

Signing Documents using a Power of Attorney

Corporate mistake: BC Supreme Court declines to permit retroactive tax planning

He was “Just There”: Predatory marriage declared void in BC due to incapacity

To disclose or not to disclose: Jointly-held assets and the personal representative’s obligations

Broken heart, lost trust: Trust planning that fails to account for family realities

The Default Position: What Happens to the Administration of Your Estate if Your Executor Dies?

Independent legal advice may fail to rebut the presumption of undue influence

Gifts to Your Adult Children — Does an Ex-spouse get Half?

Contested Committeeship: 11 Considerations Applied by the BC Supreme Court

Gardening 101: Construing Efficacy Exclusions in Commercial General Liability Insurance Policies

Professional & Community Affiliations

Aubrie's
Focus

Practice Areas:

  • Business
  • Personal