Barbara L. Novek

A founding partner of the firm, Barbara’s practice focuses primarily on the tax issues of small and medium size corporations and their shareholders. In this context, she is involved in both corporate taxation and personal tax and estate planning, as well as various commercial transactions, and representing clients in dealings with the tax authorities. Barbara regularly counsels clients regarding estate planning and business succession issues and guides them in mapping out strategies to address the often disparate family, business and tax concerns. She also regularly advises clients regarding the purchase and sale of businesses, shareholder agreements, partnerships, trusts and corporate reorganizations and on tax issues relating to immigration, emigration and other cross-border tax matters, and represents clients in obtaining advance tax rulings, voluntary disclosures, and disputes with the federal and provincial tax authorities.

Barbara was named the 2015 Lawyer of the Year in Trusts and Estates, Montreal, selected by peer recognition as published in Best Lawyers, and has been consistently recognized in the annual publication of The Best Lawyers in Canada in the practice areas of Taxation Law as well as Trusts and Estates. She is the author of numerous articles in the area of taxation and is a regular speaker at tax conferences and seminars.

Barbara is a member and former Governor of the Canadian Tax Foundation. She is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and serves on the Editorial Board of STEP Inside, its national newsletter. Her other past and present professional affiliations include the International Fiscal Association, the Association de Planification fiscale et financière, and the Canadian Bar Association. Barbara is also involved in community endeavours and is a past-president of the Jewish Community Foundation of Montreal and of the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital in Laval, Quebec.

Barbara received her Law Degree from the Université de Montréal in 1981 and was called to the Quebec Bar in 1982 after placing first in the province on the Quebec Bar exams. Prior to co-founding Sweibel Novek in 1994, she was a partner in the Montreal tax section of a national law firm.