A customized approach
Paul takes a customized approach to transition planning. He focuses on the business family’s uniqueness, taking into consideration their vision, mission, core values and future direction – all within the family dynamic. This approach provides a wide spectrum of options and solutions that are right for your business family’s specific situation.
Here is Paul’s transition planning process in a few simple steps.
You start with a phone call or email to Paul to set up an initial confidential meeting to discuss your needs.
In that initial meeting, you will outline your business family situation and discuss your transition planning needs. You will discuss fees and determine if working together feels like a good fit. If so, you will proceed to step three: the family meeting.
In this meeting, Paul will provide an overview of his consulting approach to all members of the business family.
He will outline the different transition planning processes and tools from which they can draw.
Then comes the in-depth information gathering, where Paul completes a review of relevant business documents and then does one-to-one, private and confidential interviews with each family member and key stakeholder.
Through these interviews, he gathers perspectives on the business and its future. Paul delivers a draft report, with recommendations, to the business family leaders. After the review with the family business leaders, Paul prepares a final transition plan for presentation to the business family.
Based on the approved recommendations, Paul will work closely with the family to create and implement their new transition tools and processes. In the case of a full transition plan, Paul will help develop the detailed plan and oversee its implementation. Paul’s practice is to collaborate with the business family’s external advisors, such as tax, accounting and legal advisors.
Active in his profession
Paul has been an active member of the legal and family business consulting community throughout his career:
- Past Director and Member, Family Firm Institute, U.S.A.
- Member, Consulting Services Executive Committee – American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
- Lecturer, Estates and Trusts, Bar Admission Program, Law Society of Upper Canada
- Member of Executive of Trusts and Estates Section, Ontario Branch, Canadian Bar Association
- Editor, Estates, Trusts and Pensions Journal, a national publication
- Member, Attorneys for Family Held Enterprises, U.S.A.