The annual SFE (Solicitors for the Elderly) Conference is taking place online tomorrow. This year the programme looks at what clients need to prepare for as they move into later life and the need for care.
The event will cover the key changes and challenges facing all legal professionals who support older and vulnerable clients.
Stripping away confusion and answering key questions, the event includes a private client update from Professor Lesley King. A specialist on wills, probate, taxation and related matters, she was previously the Private Client Practice Head at The College of Law in Bloomsbury and is currently Professional Development Consultant at the University of Law.
Professor King’s talk will feature a masterclass in taking virtual instructions, the requirements of remote will execution, changes to the procedure for obtaining grants of representation, changes to the Trusts Register, the quirks of the residence nil rate band, and the new rules on accelerated reporting and payment of capital gains tax on residential property.
As the lines between community care law and more traditional private and older client law continue to blur, Cate Searle will look at the gap between health and social care funding, and the real cost of care. Director and Head of Community Care Law at Martin Searle Solicitors, Cate has many years’ experience of representing clients who have disabilities, mental health problems or caring responsibilities across a range of legal issues.
Unexpectedly, there is a glimmer of good news when it comes to NHS Continuing Healthcare Funding. The new Discharge to Assess (D2A) funding and assessment rules give some long overdue clarity and fairness to clients which may make casework loads a little less stressful. Cate will cover the latest developments and getting the best outcomes for clients with recent case studies.
Known for finding solutions to complex cases involving older and vulnerable clients, Caroline Bielanska will talk about how now more than ever, lawyers need to be better skilled to deal with health and welfare decision making as it happens. This will include how to identify whether a client has the capacity to consent or refuse consent to medical treatment; whether an advance decision to refuse treatment is valid, looking at significant recent case law; and the practicalities of an attorney giving or refusing consent to life sustaining treatment, and how this all impacts on a ‘DNAR’ notice placed on the resident’s records.
Chief Executive of SFE, Lakshmi Turner, says:
“The topic of this year’s conference was decided on well before Covid-19 was on the radar, it was topical then but it’s relevance to those practising older client law has only increased in recent months. This one-day online event has been designed to strip away confusion, answer key questions, and bring attendees up to speed with an area of the law that is moving faster than ever.”
UK Property Rescue, specialists in sorting out problem properties for local authorities, panel deputies, and insurance companies, is the headline sponsor of the event.
SFE is a membership body of 1,600 lawyers specialising in practicing older client law. Its accreditation is the gold standard for legal professionals working with older people and their families.
Bookings close at 5pm today, please visit this link to secure your ticket: https://sfe.legal/sfe-national-conference
