Waters, Hastings & Grainger Professional Corporation
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.2 lawyers · Waterloo Region
One of 3 law firms listed in Elmira, and one of 2 handling Real Estate Law.
About Waters, Hastings & Grainger Professional Corporation
WHG Law helps people buy and sell homes, plan, start, buy or sell a business, settle a loved one's estate, and work through criminal, family and civil disputes. Waters, Hastings & Grainger Professional Corporation, as it's formally known, serves Waterloo Region, Wellington County and Perth County, and clients from further away too. Its legacy goes back more than 65 years, and it has helped several generations of clients through life's big changes.
Between them, the firm's lawyers have more than 50 years of experience. Scott Grainger came to WHG Law after more than 25 years in courtrooms across southwestern and central Ontario. Grainger is a criminal trial lawyer and a former Assistant Crown Attorney, and also handles real estate, wills and estates, estate planning, family law and civil litigation. Brent Wiancko was called to the Ontario bar in 2016 and joined in 2020, after intensive work at a Windsor law office on wills, substitute decision-making and the administration of estates. Wiancko is keen to keep building that work and to grow into real estate, corporate law and other areas.
A support team organized by department works alongside them. Paralegal Michelle Barbosa-Macedo has been with the firm since early 2020, supporting Grainger and the litigation clients. Law clerks work in the real estate department, a corporate clerk works in the corporate department, and Joyce Horst looks forward to welcoming clients as reception leader and estate clerk.
The office is at 21 Arthur Street in Elmira and is open 8 to 5 Monday through Thursday and 8 to 4 on Fridays. Anyone buying a house can talk the purchase over with the firm before signing an offer, at no charge.
History
The firm's name goes back to Robert H. Waters, known as Bob, who practised law in Elmira for 40 years with partner Cynthia Hastings. Waters was also a former Woolwich mayor and a long-time supporter of recreation projects. Waters died in 2010 and is still a household name in the region, fondly remembered for contributions to minor sports and municipal politics, for compassion toward clients and for community leadership. Hastings, now retired, served the community for more than 35 years in corporate law, real estate, family law and wills and estates.
Practice areas
Real Estate Law
Wills, Estates & Trusts
Family Law
Criminal Defence
Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Business & Corporate Law
Buying and selling homes
When a client sells, WHG Law reviews the agreement of purchase and sale with all its conditions and warranties, answers the buyer's lawyer on title requisitions, and gets payout figures and discharge statements from the client's mortgage lenders.
Wills, powers of attorney and estates
The firm drafts wills and sets up powers of attorney for both property and personal care. For executors, a first meeting usually happens within a few weeks of the death to work out what the estate needs legally, and larger estates may also call for a probate application along with advice on tax clearance and distributing to beneficiaries.
Family matters
WHG Law acts in family matters such as divorce and child custody disputes. Litigation assistant Brittany Hahn, who joined the firm in 2022, works in family law.
Our guide: How to Get a Divorce in Ontario
Criminal charges
The firm takes on criminal cases of every type, among them youth matters, sexual allegations and impaired driving or over .08 charges. It commits to fighting for a fair trial and challenging evidence that was obtained illegally, and new criminal clients start with an initial case evaluation.
Civil disputes
WHG Law handles civil disputes over property, employment and business contracts, as well as injury claims, and its main priority is working toward a timely resolution. Paralegal Michelle Barbosa-Macedo, licensed since January 2015, supports the litigation clients.
Corporate work
For businesses, the firm helps with registering a corporation, changes to it, annual minutes and resolutions, and yearly upkeep. A corporate clerk works in the corporate department.
Good to know
Accessible parking
LGBTQ+ friendlyHow Waters, Hastings & Grainger Professional Corporation works
In family cases, WHG Law puts real care into choosing the right process. Some clients have no option but court, yet the firm's view is that many, if not most, family matters can be settled through conferences and mediation, which are quicker, less costly and more humane. It commits to explaining the options and their advantages so each client can follow the route that fits them and their case.
For estate planning, the firm's cardinal rule is that any change in a client's life or relationships is a reason to look at the plan again. It's happy to review clients' documents periodically over the years so their plans stay current.
Lawyers 2
The neighbourhood
WHG Law's Arthur Street office is in Elmira. Elmira is part of Woolwich Township and sits close to the line where the Region of Waterloo meets Wellington County. Over the years it's drawn outside visitors to the Woolwich Agricultural Fair, which dates back to 1854, and to the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival, which began in 1965 and still runs every year.
Properties on Arthur Street South appear on the township's heritage register. At number 68, the Gore Park Bandstand was built in 1892 by innkeeper Henry Zilliax and first stood near Arthur and Church Streets, until fire took the buildings around it; it moved to Gore Park in 1912 and got a $33 roof. At number 80 is a Gothic Revival farmhouse that Jacob W. Bowman built around 1860 on land bought from Edward Bristow, Elmira's first settler.
Frequently asked questions
- Does WHG Law keep the wills it drafts in its own vault?
- Yes. WHG Law has been practising for so long that most of the estates it handles involve wills it drafted and stored in its vault.
- Can WHG Law administer an estate if the will was drafted at another office?
- Yes. WHG Law is willing to help with estates where the will was prepared somewhere else.
Where to find them
21 Arthur Street, Elmira, Ontario N3B 2M4 · 519-669-1641
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