Services
Education
University of Toronto (B.A. Hons. 1976)
University of Windsor (LL.B. 1980)
Bar Admissions
- Canada/Province of Ontario
John T. Clark has extensive experience in business, business succession and estate planning for small- and medium-sized business enterprises and their principals. He also provides corporate governance, organizational and commercial advice and services to businesses, as well as nonprofit and charitable government-funded agencies and organizations.
Complementing John's estate planning advice and service is his expertise in estate and trust administration, including probate, asset realization, income tax, estate accounting and dispute settlement. John's commercial advice and service extends to commercial and residential real estate, particularly retirement development and housing, where he is considered the leading legal authority on life lease housing.
John is a frequent speaker on subjects related to his practice and is very committed to legal education and professional competence. He co-chairs an annual Law Society of Ontario continuing legal education program on probate practice, and he is a sessional instructor in Estate Planning and Administration at the Faculty of Law, University of Windsor. He is also a charter member and has served since 2007 on the Law Society of Ontario's Solicitors' Advisory Committee, which is charged with setting the annual Law Society licensing examinations and establishing competency standards for applicants to the Bar of Ontario.
John is recognized for his contributions to the community, having served and chaired the boards of directors and committees of several local and provincial social, health care and business organizations throughout his career.
Professional Activities
Essex Law Association, Board of Directors; Past President
Law Society of Ontario (formerly Law Society of Upper Canada), Solicitors' Advisory Committee
Ontario Bar Association
Canadian Bar Association
Civic, Cultural & Social Activities
Hotel Dieu Grace Health Care, Board of Directors, 2016 to present
Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce, Finance Committee, Past Chair; Board of Directors, Past Chair
Leamington and Area Family Health Team, Board of Directors, Past Chair
Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario, Division/Branch Forum, Past Chair; Board of Directors
Canadian Mental Health Association, Windsor-Essex County Branch, Board of Directors, Past Chair
Greater Windsor Community Foundation, Pro Bono Legal Counsel, 1996-2005
Victorian Order of Nurses, Windsor-Essex County Branch, Board of Directors
Ontario Housing Corporation, Council of Housing Authority Chairs, Past Chair
Windsor Housing Authority, Board of Directors, Past Chair
Teaching
University of Windsor Faculty of Law Sessional Instructor, Estate Planning and Administration, 2007-present
Law Society of Ontario Bar Admission Course Instructor, 1999-2005
Publications
What is a Life Lease? Life Lease Documentation and Why Life Lease Works, Ontario Bar Association, Life Lease Housing - The New Wave in Retirement Housing, 2002
Charitable Receipts: The Income Tax Act; United Way Centraide Windsor/Essex County, Leadership Development Services, 2003
Estate Planning Primer, Edward Jones, 2004
Charitable Receipts: The New Regime; Association of Fundraising Professionals, Canada South Chapter, 2006
Introduction to Planned Giving: Income Tax Considerations; United Way Centraide Windsor/Essex County, Leadership Development Services, 2006
Trusts and Estate Planning, Windsor Chartered Accountants Association, 2008
The Life Lease Option, Ontario Bar Association, Hearth and Home – Here and Hereafter, Retirement Housing, and Chair, 2009
Estate Planning, Windsor Police Pensioners, 2011
Succession Planning, with Kathleen Andrew, Freedom 55 Financial, Business Owner Succession Workshop, 2011
Disclaiming Gifts, Law Society of Ontario (formerly Law Society of Upper Canada), Practice Gems: Probate Essentials, 2011
Succession Options and Estate Planning, So You Thought It Was Hard to Succeed in Business…Now Try Getting Out!, 2012 and 2015
Role of the Estate Trustee – Risks for the Estate Trustee's Lawyer, Law Society of Ontario, Practice Gems: Probate Essentials, 2012
Real Estate Concerns: Elder College, 2013
Life Lease Housing: Purchases, Succession, Management, Law Society of Ontario, 10th Annual Real Estate Summit, 2013
Role of the Estate Trustee: Preventative Medicine, Windsor Estate Planning Council, 2013
Obtaining a Copy of the Will, Law Society of Ontario, Practice Gems: Probate Essentials, 2013
Trusts and Joint Accounts, Hospice of Windsor and Essex County Inc. Prostate Cancer Awareness/Support Group, 2013
Life Leases – Transferring an Interest; with Danielle Poirier, Law Society of Ontario, Real Estate and the Elderly Client, 2014
Common Legal Concerns for Small Business Owners, with Danielle Poirier, New Canadian Centre for Excellence, 2014
The Testamentary Documents You Should File, Law Society of Ontario, Practice Gems: Probate Essentials, 2014
Applications for Certificates of Appointment – More Tips and Traps, Law Society of Ontario, Practice Gems: Probate Essentials, 2015
Corporate Governance of Registered Charities, Habitat for Humanity Windsor-Essex, Presentation to Board of Directors, 2016
Life Lease, Joint Tenancy and Estate Administration Tax, Osgoode Professional Development, Osgoode Hall Law School: Unique Real Estate Issues Facing Elderly Clients and their Families, 2016
Joint Tenancy and Estate Administration Tax, Law Society of Ontario, Practice Gems: Probate Essentials, and Co-Chair, 2016
Jointly Held Assets: Judicial Status, Estate Administration Tax and Income Tax: Strategies, Windsor Essex Planning Council, 2016
Precedents, Law Society of Ontario, Practice Gems: Probate Essential, and Co-Chair, 2017
Charitable Gifting: Challenges for the Professional Advisor, Canadian Association of Gift Planners, Windsor-Essex Chapter, 2018
Update: Jointly held Assets and Resulting Trusts, Law Society of Ontario, Practice Gems: Probate Essential, and Co-Chair, 2018