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Kim Karras |
Kim Karras is the principal of BKS Law and has been practicing for over 35 years. Her work spans a broad range of areas, including wealth preservation and estate planning, trusts, business succession, corporate reorganizations, estate freezes, real estate and business law.
With a personal focus and individualized approach, Kim works with her clients and their accountants and financial planners to develop and establish comprehensive and personalized estate plans that meet clients’ unique circumstances and needs, ensuring that their estate planning objectives are realized. Kim also represents executors and administrators in all stages of estate administration and applications for estate grants.
Kim’s practice also focuses on corporate and business law, advising her clients in respect to the appropriate business structures and incorporations, and assisting them on the successful purchase and sale of businesses. She oversees the firm’s residential and commercial real estate practices.
Complimenting Kim’s solicitor practice is her designation as a Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA). As a Family Enterprise Advisor, Kim integrates her own discipline (the practice of law) with those of other professionals such as accountants, bankers, insurance advisors, wealth advisors and financial planners, in order to provide collaborative and complementary advice to business family clients. With a broader perspective and skills related to the business and legal issues that families traditionally face, Kim can assist in business succession and transition planning, corporate and family governance, wills, estate and trust planning.
Kim is also a registered trust and estate practitioner (TEP) with the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and has years of experience in estate planning, estate administration, and the preparation of wills and trusts. Best Lawyers in Canada, 2016 to 2021 editions, recognized Kim for her work in the practice area of Trusts and Estates.
Kim is a frequent instructor for the Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Society of BC, and was included in CLE’s list “CLE BC’s Most Prolific Volunteers: 1996 to 2016” for her 30+ contributions (which include presenting or chairing a course, and authoring or updating a publication or course paper). She has authored a number of papers in the area of estate planning.
Kim is an active member in the Canadian Bar Association and was an elected member of the Provincial Council (Westminster County) for the years 2013 to 2016. In 2014, Kim was a recipient of the CBA Community Service Award “in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the life and well-being on her community”.
Although not a Rotarian herself, in 2010 Kim received a “Paul Harris Fellowship” from the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. In 2005, the South Surrey/White Rock Chamber of Commerce awarded Kim the Independent Business Person of the Year.
Kim obtained both her Bachelor of Commerce and her law degrees from The University of British Columbia. She articled with a large national Vancouver law firm and began practicing in 1986.
Kim was born in Vancouver, is married with two adult daughters and has lived in South Surrey since 1992. She is actively involved in community affairs and in her spare time enjoys skiing and travelling, particularly to explore the food scenes in major cities throughout the world.