Event: Modernising wills: a focus on lasting legacy and capacity issues
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STEP are running a joint event, with Farrer & Co, on 17 October at the Law Society about modernising wills, with regard to mental capacity and will disputes.
Law Commissioner Professor Nicholas Hopkins will be speaking. To find out more or to sign up, click here.
Modernising wills: a focus on lasting legacy and capacity issues
Will disputes are on the rise and mental capacity is an ever-growing issue. Is it time for the law to be modernised as the landscape shifts?
Join Law Commissioner Professor Nicholas Hopkins and our panel of experts in their exploration of the laws around capacity and will making and how they could be reformed to be modernised.
This live, in-person only event will be a unique opportunity to:
- Debate the supplementary consultation paper issued by the Law Commission on 5 October on the subject of electronic wills and revocation of wills by marriage.
- Explore the vulnerability to abuse of those within the ‘Twilight Zone’ (the period when someone is affected by cognitive decline but may yet have capacity in the eyes of the law) and consider appropriate policy in the light of the Law Commission’s wills project;
- Consider what might be included within practice guidance for will drafters;
- Hear about STEP’s work to help stakeholders understand the changing nature and dynamics of capacity and its drive to move government thinking forward on the commonality of approach to Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) and cross-border incapacity, sharing with you its gold standard for LPAs and campaign for global adoption and legal recognition.
Perspectives will be given and discussion will focus around:
- The Law Commission’s law of wills reform proposals
- Reform considerations in the context of revocation of wills by marriage, electronic wills and capacity issues
- Considering capacity and representative powers in a wider global context
Our panel of experts are:
- Laura Banks TEP, Partner-Private Client, Harrison Clark Rickerbys Ltd
- Jeremy Gordon, Senior Partner-Trust, Will and Estate Disputes, Farrer & Co
- Professor Nicholas Hopkins, Commissioner for Property, Family and Trust Law, Law Commission of England and Wales
- Professor Robin Jacoby, Emeritus Professor-Old Age Psychiatry, University of Oxford
- Richard McDermott TEP, Partner-Private Client, Farrer & Co
- Penelope Reed KC TEP, Barrister, Judge and Mediator, 5 Stone Buildings
- James Stebbings, Chair, The Institute Of Legacy Management
Date: Tuesday 17th October
Time: Begins at 3pm
Where: Law Society, London
The event is free to attend. If you would like more information, or to sign up, click here.
STEP is the global professional association for practitioners who specialise in family inheritance and succession planning. We work to improve public understanding of the issues families face in this area and promote education and high professional standards among our members.
STEP members help families plan for their futures, from drafting a will to advising on issues concerning international families, protection of the vulnerable, family businesses and philanthropic giving. Full STEP members, known as TEPs, are internationally recognised as experts in their field, with proven qualifications and experience.
By joining STEP, practitioners and employers benefit from quality education and resources, professional recognition, and international connections. There are three routes to membership, depending on a practitioner's level of experience and qualifications – Exam, Essay or Expertise. You can join via these routes to become either a Student, Affiliate, Associate or Full Member of STEP. Find out more about joining STEP at 
