{"id":2438,"date":"2026-11-12T06:53:13","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T06:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lawgicalcorp.com\/blog\/defending-wills-variation-claim-bc\/"},"modified":"2026-11-12T06:53:13","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T06:53:13","slug":"defending-wills-variation-claim-bc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lawgicalcorp.com\/blog\/defending-wills-variation-claim-bc\/","title":{"rendered":"Defending a wills variation claim in BC: when you received the larger share"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Pardeep S. Grewal<\/a>, lawyer at Lawgical Law Corporation \u00b7 Reviewed November 11, 2026<\/p>\n

Pardeep S. Grewal is a lawyer at Lawgical Law Corporation, called to the BC bar in 2024, and a member of the Law Society of British Columbia<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Updated November 11, 2026: the Wills, Estates and Succession Act (ss. 60, 62, 63) and the court decisions cited below checked that day.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The will isn’t automatically safe, and it isn’t automatically lost.<\/strong> If the gift falls within a reasonable range of what a judicious parent might do, courts refuse to vary it, even at the low end of the range.<\/p>\n

Strong defences:<\/strong> your contributions and care, gifts the claimant received during life, genuine estrangement, and true, rational reasons for the will.<\/p>\n

Costs risk runs both ways.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What helps a defence<\/a> \u00b7 Book a consultation<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The lawyers who handle these estate files<\/p>\n

\"SundeepSundeep S. Grewal<\/span>Barrister and Solicitor<\/span><\/a>\"PardeepPardeep S. Grewal<\/span>Barrister and Solicitor<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
\nAbout our lawyers<\/summary>\n
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Sundeep S. Grewal<\/a><\/strong> founded Lawgical Law Corporation and practises probate, estate litigation and immigration. He has represented clients in the Provincial and Supreme Courts of British Columbia, from chambers applications to contested trials.<\/p>\n

Pardeep S. Grewal<\/a><\/strong> is a probate, estates and immigration lawyer known for clear communication and practical strategy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n

Every wills variation claim has another side: the sibling who cared for a parent and was left the house, the second spouse who received the estate, or the child a parent chose to favour for reasons that made sense to them. If you’ve been served with a wills variation claim, the will you’re relying on isn’t automatically safe, but it isn’t automatically lost either. BC courts respect a will-maker’s freedom to choose, so long as the will meets their legal and moral obligations by today’s standards. If the gift to the claimant falls within the range of options a judicious parent might choose, the court won’t vary it, even if it’s at the low end of that range. Your best defence is evidence: what you contributed, the care you gave, what the claimant received during the parent’s life, the real history of the relationship, and the parent’s reasons, if they were true and rational. The executor’s role is generally to stay neutral, so beneficiaries usually defend with their own lawyer.<\/p>\n

Lawgical Law Corporation<\/a>, a probate and estate litigation law firm with offices in Surrey<\/a>, Abbotsford<\/a> and Vancouver, BC, defends beneficiaries and spouses against wills variation claims; this guide is by Pardeep S. Grewal.<\/p>\n

What helps a defence<\/h2>\n