Designation and Professional Affiliations
M. Jasmine Sweatman
B.A. (Hons.), J.D., LL.M., TEP, C.S., EPC, CPCA
M. Jasmine Sweatman is the founding and managing partner of Sweatman Law, a full-service firm providing customized legal services in the areas of resolution of disputes involving estates, trusts, and powers of attorney; planning for wealth preservation, families with special needs; the administration of estates, trusts, and guardianships; family, divorce and collaborative law; charity and not-for-profit law; corporate law; and real estate.
She is also a founding principal of Sweatman Windeyer Consultants, a consulting firm specializing in advising charitable organizations in bequest management and charitable giving.
Jasmine was designated as a Certified Specialist in Estates and Trusts law by the Law Society of Upper Canada in 2004. She has been recognized by Lexpert® as a leading practitioner in Charities and has been peer rated and listed by The Best Lawyers in Canada in the specialty of Estates and Trusts since 2009. Jasmine was called to the Ontario Bar in 1992 and as a solicitor (non-practicing) of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1996.
Jasmine is past Chair of the Estate Planning Council of Oakville (2009-2011); past Chair of the Ontario Bar Association, Trusts & Estates executive (2004-2005); a member of the Civil Litigation, Charities and Not-for-Profit section Ontario Bar Association; and the executive of the CBA Elder Law Section. She is also a member of the Halton County Lawyers Association, the Hamilton Law Association, a past committee member of the Law Society of Upper Canada's Certified Specialist committee and a past lecturer for the Ontario Bar Admission course in the area of Trusts, Estates Planning and Administration.
Jasmine is a registered member of Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners (STEP worldwide) and a member of the Canadian Association of Gift Planners (past chair of the Greater Toronto Area RoundTable) where she proudly sponsors the Sweatman Award, an award given annually to a key volunteer of the CAGP GTA RoundTable. Jasmine has qualified as an Elder Planning Counsellor, and as a Certified Professional Consultant on Aging (CPCA)™. She is a member of the Lawyer Advisor Board™ and has been appointed a regular member of the Municipal Election Compliance Audit Committee (to 2014) for Halton Region.
Jasmine has authored the Canada Law Book (2002) Guide to Powers of Attorney and Bequest Management for Charitable Organizations (2003) published by Butterworths. She is also the editor of O'Brien's chapter on Powers of Attorney, and she is a contributor to the Canada Law Book annual publication on Key Developments in Estates and Trusts Law in Ontario as author of the chapter on Powers of Attorney. Jasmine is a frequent lecturer, and she has written numerous articles and blogs at www.allaboutestates.ca.
Meredith G. Cox
B.A. (Hons.), LL.B., J.D.
Meredith Cox is a Principal at Sweatman Law, a full-service firm providing customized legal services in the areas of resolution of disputes involving estates, trusts, and powers of attorney; planning for wealth preservation, families with special needs; the administration of estates, trusts, and guardianships; family, divorce and collaborative law; charity and not-for-profit law; corporate law; and real estate.
Her practice focuses exclusively on family and divorce as well as resolving family disputes through litigation, arbitration, mediation, negotiation of domestic contracts (separation agreements, cohabitation agreements, marriage contracts) and collaborative family practice.
Prior to joining Sweatman Law Meredith practiced for 5 years at a top ranking full service law firm and another 4 years at a boutique family law firm as a family lawyer, with a particular focus on collaborative family practice and divorce litigation.
Meredith has additional training in Collaborative Family Law, Family Mediation and Human Relations.
Meredith taught the Family Law section of the Bar Admission Course at the Law Society of Upper Canada and enjoys speaking to community groups and students on various aspects of family law. She contributed a section on family law proceedings in Robert van Kessel's legal text, "Summary Judgments and Dispositions before Trial". Meredith is a past Director of the Halton Women's Centre and the United Way of Milton where she was also the past Chair of the Funding Allocations and Agency Relations Committee.
Meredith advises individuals and families in property, support, custody, access, child protection, divorce and estate matters. Her ability to understand the unique personal needs and complex financial interests of individuals and families in the midst of stressful transitions is always forefront in her management of cases.
Meredith provides expert advice as well as personalized, practical solutions for her clients.
Bethany Anderson
B.A., LL.B
Bethany Anderson is an associate at Sweatman Law, a full-service firm providing customized legal services in the areas of resolution of disputes involving estates, trusts, and powers of attorney; planning for wealth preservation, families with special needs; the administration of estates, trusts, and guardianships; family, divorce and collaborative law; charity and not-for-profit law; corporate law; and real estate.
Her practice focuses exclusively on wills, estate and related tax planning, planning for special needs, power of attorneys and estate administration.
Prior to joining Sweatman Law, Beth practiced as in-house counsel to an internationally renowned Canadian company, where she gained valuable corporate/commercial experience.
Beth was called to the Ontario Bar in 2002 and spent seven years practicing at a top-ranked national law firm in downtown Toronto. Beth began her legal career as a commercial litigator, but after being introduced to estate planning and administration, switched her practice to providing estates, trust and succession planning advice and representation to families, business owners and charitable organizations.
Beth has extensive experience in drafting wills and trusts, powers of attorney, advising on trust variations, adult guardianship issues, and advising estate trustees and attorneys. She has advised clients on issues arising of the simplest of estates to the most complex, including business succession and tax planning, and planning for disabled family members. Beth has a particular expertise and interest in planning for beneficiaries with special needs. She has also acted as counsel to family law, corporate and litigation lawyers with matters involving estates and trusts and advises executors, trustees, and attorneys regarding their powers and obligations in the management and administration of trusts and estates.
Beth is client centric and focused on helping clients develop estate plans that meet their individual needs.
Sophia E. Dunkley
B.A. (Hons.), LL.B.
Sophia Dunkley is an associate at Sweatman Law, a full-service firm providing customized legal services in the areas of resolution of disputes involving estates, trusts, and powers of attorney; planning for wealth preservation, families with special needs; the administration of estates, trusts, and guardianships; family, divorce and collaborative law; charity and not-for-profit law; corporate law; and real estate.
Sophia's practice focuses on charity and not-for-profit law, corporate law. She advises charitable foundations and charitable and not-for-profit organizations on day-to-day issues. In addition, she advises on specialized issues, including corporate governance, board fiduciary duties, trust law, charity regulation and compliance oversight, as well as income tax issues as they relate to charities and not-for-profits. In her general corporate practice, she provides general counsel services to individuals and businesses, prepares business agreements, conducts document reviews and assists in the establishment, maintenance and reorganization of businesses.
Prior to joining Sweatman Law, Sophia worked in the area of philanthropic advisory services within the estate and trust division of a top tier Canadian bank. In this role, she provided expert advice to clients and their advisors to develop customized charitable giving solutions that offered both efficiency and flexibility. More recently, during her tenure with this leading Canadian bank Sophia was promoted to the position of Manager, Charitable Foundation Services, leading a team in the management and administration of more than 120 foundations.
Sophia also gained valuable experience in developing her skills and knowledge at a major Toronto law firm in the area of charities and not-for-profit law, corporate law, and in the area of gift planning within the context of university advancement.
Sophia was called to the Ontario Bar in 2002. She is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC), the Canadian Bar Association (CBA), and the Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP). She is an executive member of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) and the Ontario Bar Association's (OBA) Charity and Not-for-Profit Law Sections. In the past, she has volunteered with Pro Bono Law Ontario (PBLO), and she contributes to the charitable and not-for-profit sector by writing articles, presenting on issues related to charities and non-for-profits, and sharing best practices with charities.
Sophia advises charitable foundations and charitable and not-for-profit organizations on day to day issues. She also advises on specialized issues including corporate governance, board fiduciary duties, trust law, charity regulation and compliance oversight, income tax issues as it relates to charities and not-for-profits, charitable bequest management, and gift planning. In her general corporate practice, she provides general counsel services to individuals and businesses, prepares business agreements, conducts document reviews and assists in the establishment, maintenance and reorganization of businesses.
Sophia uses her diverse background, knowledge and expertise for the benefit and advantage of her clients.
Designation and Professional Affiliations
Jennifer Stebbing
B.A. (Hons.), LL.B., J.D.
Jennifer Stebbing is an associate at Sweatman Law, a full-service firm providing customized legal services in the areas of resolution of disputes involving estates, trusts, and powers of attorney; planning for wealth preservation, families with special needs; the administration of estates, trusts, and guardianships; family, divorce and collaborative law; charity and not-for-profit law; corporate law; and real estate.
Prior to joining Sweatman Law, Jennifer articled at the largest firm in Halton Region, where she gained valuable experience in general litigation, family law, municipal and land use planning, real estate, corporate and commercial law, wills and estates, and employment law. During her summers she had the opportunity to intern at the Library of Parliament Government Services Division, work on two law journals — the Michigan State University Journal of International Law and the University of Ottawa Law and Technology Journal — as well as work with in- house counsel in an international company.
Jennifer graduated from the University of Windsor with honours and, after assisting with a provincial election campaign, she attended both Michigan State University and the University of Ottawa law schools graduating with cum laude honours and a Certificate in International and Comparative Law. Jennifer was called to the Ontario Bar in 2009.
During law school Jennifer was the founding executive member of the Canada-U.S. Joint Law Degree Association, in addition to being a member of the moot teams for the first year moot at both Michigan State University and the University of Ottawa, the Hicks-Moorly Labour Law Moot, and the William C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Team. In her second year at the University of Ottawa, she testified before the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights, defending a co-written paper on the topic of "Canadian Accession to the American Convention of Human Rights."
Kathleen E. Jukes
B.A. (Hons.), LL.B.
Kathleen Jukes is an associate at Sweatman Law, a full-service firm providing customized legal services in the areas of resolution of disputes involving estates, trusts, and powers of attorney; planning for wealth preservation, families with special needs; the administration of estates, trusts, and guardianships; family, divorce and collaborative law; charity and not-for-profit law; corporate law; and real estate.
Her practice focuses exclusively on wills, trust, estate and related tax planning, powers of attorney, and estate administration, as well as resolving disputes involving estates, trusts, guardianships and powers of attorney through litigation and mediation.
Prior to joining Sweatman Law Kathleen practiced at a boutique firm in downtown Toronto where she gained valuable experience in wills, estates and corporate/commercial litigation.
Kathleen advises executors, trustees, attorneys and beneficiaries regarding their rights, duties and responsibilities in resolving disputes, as well as in the management and administration of trusts and estates. Also, she works extensively with members of the Toronto Police Service, Toronto Police widows and orphans and other emergency services clients in developing estate plans that meet their needs.
To learn more about our lawyers, visit the links below:
- M. Jasmine Sweatman
- Meredith G. Cox
- Bethany J. Anderson
- Sophia E. Dunkley
- Jennifer Marie Claire Stebbing
- Kathleen E. Jukes
To schedule a consultation with one of our lawyers, contact Sweatman Law.
