The combined service of Turner Drake’s three most senior consultants is a staggering 110 years… and counting. Still swift of mind (if not of foot), they provide an unparalleled resource for our clients and give wise counsel to our own junior ranks. One of these senior consultants is Lee Weatherby, Vice President of our Counselling Division who is now well into his fourth decade of service with Turner Drake.
When Lee started with the company in 1981, we were operating nicely with cutting-edge typewriters, rotary-dial phones, and comfortable indoor plumbing. Already a veteran of the litigious world of expropriation, Lee was immediately able to share his training and experience with the local legal community. Over the years, he has worked alongside many lawyers, providing litigation support and forensic valuation advice. He has presented himself as an expert witness at countless trials, arbitrations, and mediation hearings, and while refusing to accept all the credit, it is worth noting that many of those who were once clients are now judges. And he was always nice to them.
Forensic valuation work is an invaluable tool when disputes arise. If you own real estate, you will have likely engaged with an irate tenant, landlord, insurance adjuster, assessor, or neighbour at one time or another. Any self-respecting lawyer will tell you that when serious disputes arise, negotiation is a far better solution than trial, and alternative dispute mechanisms are a happy middle ground for would-be combatants. Our own experience tells us that there are fewer litigants prepared to try their luck at trial, and for good reason. Inevitably, there will be some merit in both sides; when it comes to matters of real estate the challenge is to measure who has the best case and the best evidence to support it. The seasoned valuation expert will not only provide the underpinnings for your own case, but will also help to remove them from your opponent’s – presuming, of course, that your case is credible to start with. Exposing the frailties (and indeed the strengths) in your opponent will put you at a distinct advantage at the negotiating table, and greatly improve your chances of success should you decide to chance your luck at trial.
Thinking outside-the-box has long been a corporate philosophy within the halls of Turner Drake, and strategic thinking of one of the hallmarks of the Counselling Division. Challenging cases and unusual real estate assets are commonplace, and there aren’t many properties that Lee hasn’t encountered during his tenure with the company. He is never one to tire of the mundane, but tends to thrive on the more obscure challenges; from heavy water production plants to underwater burial grounds, from debunked bunkers of the cold war era to obsolete pulp and paper mills of the modern era. There is little that has not crossed his desk at one time or another and no challenge has ever been left unresolved. If you have a property that’s a real head scratcher, give Lee a call.
Lee Weatherby, Vice President of our Counselling Division. For more information about our counselling services, feel free to contact Lee at (902) 429-1811 or .