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Oak Bay lawyer honoured for lifetime achievement

Oak Bay trust lawyer Donovan Waters has received the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners
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Donovan Waters

Morgan Cross

News contributor

Oak Bay trust lawyer Donovan Waters has received the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award in London, England.

The Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners presents the award annually. The international association, with more than 20,000 professional members in 19 countries, focuses on advising intergenerational, international and vulnerable families on their futures.

This year, the society recognized Waters for his outstanding contributions to the world of trust law throughout his diverse and lengthy career.

“I work in trust law and I taught in that area for over 43 years,” Waters reflects.

Over the course of his teaching, Waters held positions at the universities of Oxford, London, Chicago, Saskatchewan, Montreal, McGill, and the University of Victoria.

“Twenty years ago, I switched to practice and moved into Oak Bay as a permanent resident.”

Waters is regarded as a leading international expert in the field, frequently sought out for advice by lawyers across the globe, and has often acted as a legal counsel in Canada.

Currently practicing at the Horne Coupar office in Oak Bay, Waters’ local roots reach back two decades.

Throughout his career, Waters has played a key role in the evolution of Canadian trust law, working alongside the Ontario Law Reform Commission, the Uniform Law Conference of Canada Uniform Trustee Act Project, and the BC Law Institute Project to modernize the Trustee Act. Several texts have developed through his work, including the Law of Trusts in Canada, a commonly referenced and quoted text in and outside of case processes.

Today, Waters not only practices locally, but continues to speak on the subject of trust law around the globe.