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Lynne Butler

Goodreads Author

Born

Canada

Website

http://www.butlerwillsandestates.com

Twitter

estatelawcanada

Genre

Nonfiction, Self Help, History

Member Since

July 2012

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I'm a lawyer with more than 30 years of experience in estate planning and probate. I write about the law in a down-to-earth way that individuals, families, and businesses can really understand and use to plan their financial and personal futures, or to deal with estate administration.

I'm a frequent public speaker for businesses, non-profit groups, conventions, and the public. I've been interviewed on BNN, Global TV, CityTV, CPAC, CBC Radio, Maclean's Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, the Vancouver Province, and the Edmonton Journal.

I'm the former host of The Law Show on VOCM Radio.

I'm the chair of the Wills and Estates Section of the Newfoundland and Labrador Bar Admission Course.

I'm also the editor o ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

I would like to know why you reviewed my book The Bradgate Heiress,’ falsely claiming it was self published.?It was published by Next Chapter Publishing, a respectable international publisher.if you are a real lawyer you should know better than to use false claims on a public post. Please acknowledge your mistake on the review. Derek,Ansell

Lynne Butler Well, that's a confrontational beginning to a conversation. There is no need to go into personal insults such as saying "if you're a real lawyer". And…moreWell, that's a confrontational beginning to a conversation. There is no need to go into personal insults such as saying "if you're a real lawyer". And I'd hardly classify a comment about your work as a "claim". Take a deep breath. I see I touched a nerve by saying your book was self-published.

If I make a mistake, I have no problem admitting it. But was I mistaken? Before I posted my review, I did google the publisher. Now that I see your question, I've googled it again. It describes itself as a sort of hybrid between traditional publishing and self-publishing. In my view, the vital difference between a traditional publisher and any other sort of publishing is the role of the editors and publishers who vet each manuscript based on merit. On my reading of the Next Chapter Publishing website, any author can send in anything to be published, and can pay for services like editing if they want to. How is that not self-publishing?

To me, your book screamed "self-published" by virtue of its lack of editing. When I googled the publisher, it appeared to me to be a self-publishing site. I can't change my mind on either of those things based on what I see and read.

I'm sorry I didn't like your book, but I'm just one person. Plenty of other reviewers thought it was fine.
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Hi Lynne, How do I deal with obstacles? My father's Will has a witness (law clerk) signature that has a expiry date 2023 Nov. Why? What does it mean? I am POA. I do not expect there will be probate as my father has depleted most of his accounts except for an investment account. The bank demands "originals." I've asked his lawyer for the "originals." They refuse to co-operate with me.

Lynne Butler Hi Dawn,
Most law clerks and legal assistants are commissioners for oaths. This is a government registration that is renewable every few years. The exp…moreHi Dawn,
Most law clerks and legal assistants are commissioners for oaths. This is a government registration that is renewable every few years. The expiry date you're referring to will be the deadline for that law clerk to renew his or her commission. This does not affect your father's will at all. The law clerk was validly registered at the time of the witnessing and that's all that matters.

You are discussing both probate and POA in the same question, so I'm not sure what "originals" the bank wants. The original will? The original POA? I started off assuming that your father had passed away but when you said you are POA it became contradictory.

Are you the executor named in the will? If so, and if your father is now deceased, the lawyer should be releasing the will to you. You don't say why they refuse to co-operate so I'm left not knowing really what you asked them for or why they refused you, so I honestly can't make any sort of helpful remarks on that part.

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Combine Editions
Lynne Butler’s books

Average rating: 4.48 · 27 ratings · 6 reviews · 20 distinct works

	How Executors Avoid Personal Liability: A Handbook for Executors and Beneficiaries 4.83 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2014 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Estate Planning Through Family Meetings: Without Breaking Up the Family (Wills/Estates Series) 3.67 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2010 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Protect Your Elderly Parents: Become Your Parents' Guardian/Truste really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2007 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Build Your Family Tree: A Guide For Canadians With Local And Global Roots 4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Alberta Probate Kit it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2011 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Succession Planning Kit for Canadian Business it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2009 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Beneficiary's Answer Book it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cinderella's Trust Fund it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Best of Estate Law Canada it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sound Mind and Memory: 19th Century Newfoundland Wills it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Hi everyone,My posts can now be found on Patreon! Thanks...

Hi everyone,My posts can now be found on Patreon! Thanks everyone - all nine million of you - for reading here over the years. Some of the most popular posts from this blog may be moved over to the new space but mostly I'll be writing new, updated material. I'd love for you to join me there.Come visit me by clicking here.

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Lynne wants to read The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman by Robin Gregory (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Lynne rated a book really liked it A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I wavered between 3 and 4 stars on this one. I like the author's writing style and feel as if she can really tell a good story. She's very imaginative. I love a bit of magic in a story. Something I enjoyed in particular was the description of the magi ...more
Feb 23, 2026 04:41PM · like · see review
Lynne wants to read Daughter of the Tarot by Clare Marchant	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 14, 2026 11:17PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Daughter of the Tarot by Clare Marchant. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Daughter of the Tarot by Clare Marchant <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Lynne rated a book really liked it The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I didn't realize the main character of this book, Martha Ballard, was a real person until after I'd read the book and then the author's notes. I liked finding out that she was real and that the story told here was at least in part true. Or, as the au ...more
Feb 14, 2026 10:38PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Lynne wants to read A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna (Goodreads Author) Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Romantasy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Lynne rated a book really liked it The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I like a bit of magic in a story, so I liked the main character, Mika, right off the bat. I also liked how the author didn't make Mika into some sort of weird outcast who MUST be a witch; she's just an ordinary woman doing more or less ordinary stuff ...more
Aug 21, 2025 03:01PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Lynne rated a book liked it The Ghost Tree by Barbara Erskine	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Ghosts, historical characters, Scots nobility - all attractive topics for me. I thought I'd like this book a lot more than I do. Despite some very skillful weaving of past and present, supernatural and material, history and fiction, there was somethi ...more
Aug 11, 2025 12:44PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Ghost Tree by Barbara Erskine. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Ghost Tree by Barbara Erskine <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Lynne rated a book really liked it Time's Echo by Pamela Hartshorne (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This is a modern ghost story. Grace, in our current time period, moves to York and suddenly begins falling in and out of the life being lived by Hawise, who lived 400 years ago. The author is very skilled at propelling the reader back and forth witho ...more
Jul 26, 2025 04:14PM · like · see review
Lynne rated a book did not like it Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I didn't finish it. The violence against women, told in excruciating detail, was too much for me. I don't want to know. ...more
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Lynne rated a book it was amazing The Corset by Laura Purcell (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Wow. What a ride that book was. What a powerful, intricate, insightful, heartbreaking story. The two main characters are Dorothea, a rich, beautiful, privileged young heiress in Victorian London. The other is Ruth, a poor, plain, downtrodden, teenage ...more
Jul 17, 2025 03:30PM · like · see review