Ian graduated from the University of British Columbia with an LLB in 1995 and has practised tax and estates law since his call to the Bar in 1996. He completed the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants’ two year In-Depth Tax Course in July, 1998.
Ian regularly advises clients in personal and corporate tax planning, corporate reorganizations, estate planning, charitable gift planning and international tax and trust planning. This work also includes advising clients on tax issues arising in connection with the acquisition or sale of a business, divorce, separation, and variations of trusts and wills. Ian has also represented clients in disputes with the Canada Revenue Agency and the Ministry of Provincial Revenue (B.C.) and has appeared on behalf of clients in courts of all levels including the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, the Tax Court of Canada, the Supreme Court of British Columbia, the Federal Court – Trial Division, the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.
Ian has been a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) since 2002 and was a member of the board of directors of STEP Canada from 2007 to 2017, serving as Chair of STEP Canada from 2013 to 2015. STEP is the worldwide professional association for those advising families across generations.
Ian is a member of the board of directors of Aqueduct Foundation, a charitable public foundation offering donor advised funds to facilitate smart and flexible philanthropic solutions for engaged donors.
Ian was a member of the board of governors of Quest University Canada from 2008 to 2017 and served as Chair of the Board from 2011 to 2016. Quest University Canada was Canada’s first independent not- for-profit secular university, offering one degree (Bachelor of Arts and Sciences) with a singular focus on excellence in undergraduate education.