After last year’s successful inaugural event, booking is now open for the second Wills and Probate Risk and Compliance Conference, which will be held on Thursday 13th March 2025 in Leeds.
The event will be hosted by leading experts who will share their knowledge as part of a day of insight and discussion covering the latest technical developments and best practice.
It’s a must-attend event for professionals in the legal industry and firms offering Wills and Probate services, giving you an opportunity to stay up to date with the latest insights and regulatory changes in the field of wills and probate compliance, and to have your questions answered by an esteemed panel of experts.
The event concludes with time to network with industry leaders, experts and like-minded professionals, while enjoying informative sessions, engaging discussions and an interactive Q&A session. Gain valuable knowledge and learn practical strategies to enhance your compliance efforts in an ever-evolving legal landscape.
The day session will explore:
Is your team up to date with compliance and best practice?
Contentious Probate claims and Will challenges have more than doubled over the last 4 years, driven in part by a legacy of poorly drafted Wills, and outdated practises that increase risks to firms and practitioners. In addition, co-habiting is now the norm, and without a valid will they would not be entitled to an inheritance without making a claim, increasing administration costs. Remote signing is also more common than ever, resulting in challenges over the signing process and knowledge and approval of the contents. How do we as practitioners ensure a client has capacity?
Processes for making Wills need to adapt with the current environment to protect against risks in the modern era, and firms are facing unprecedented need to protect against threats from fraud and cyber-theft and overcome difficulties in locating and paying beneficiaries in a digital world.
What can the sector expect in 2025?
After years of hybrid working and a material change in how people access legal services, how can the industry make sure it keeps up with client demands and still meets regulatory obligations? How do we as legal firms mitigate emerging risks? How can firms continue to provide Private Client services and manage these risks effectively? Electronic wills are going to be coming into effect, how do we protect ourselves from risks and challenges in managing the implementation of this system?
Cyber theft and fraud are now rife, with many firms regularly attacked. What impact will this have in the wills and probate sector, and how should firms manage these risks?
Mental health issues and medications to provide treatment can also have a massive impact on the understanding of a client and their capacity. What checks should we be undertaking to ensure a client understands the documentation prepared, given remote working?
These are just some of the many questions and issues we face, and the conference this year will consider managing risks in drafting, administrative processes and capacity.
Who should attend?
The Wills and Probate Conference 2025 is suitable for both SRA and non-regulated firms. Topics will focus on challenges faced by all practitioners with plenty of opportunities to put your own questions to the experts.
Speakers
Helen Forster, Director and Trusts and Estates Practitioner
Helen is Managing Director of HTF Legal and a highly respected training provider to those working in the Private Client sector throughout the UK. She will be speaking on the risks associated with Will drafting and practical advice on how to mitigate these.
John Waiting, Barrister
John is a Barrister from Exchange Chambers, an award-winning, full service set of barristers’ chambers in Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds, who will be giving a barrister’s update on Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) act 1975 claims against estates.
Leighan Banks, Head of Contentious Probate at HTF Legal
Leighan specialises in contentious probate and is experienced in some of the most challenging areas of will, trusts and probate disputes and Court of Protection matters. She will be discussing the difficulties we face regarding client capacity and taking instructions.
Christine Marsh, Paramount Legal Costs,
Christine is Private Client Director at Paramount Legal Costs and will be talking about Solicitor/Own Client and Third Party assessments – Where are we now and how to mitigate against challenges. She will cover:
- The current rights of clients and third parties to challenge Solicitors Bills of Costs;
- What areas of costs are most susceptible to challenge by a client/third party;
- What is good practice to mitigate potential challenges.
Emma Baddaley, Estatesearch
With a BA (hons) in Cultural Studies, Emma has over 27 years’ experience at senior client facing level, managing relationships with FTSE 100 firms, global data providers and professional services firms. For the past 10 years, she has worked extensively in the legal sector; in recent years within wills and probate, to provide Estatesearch’s award-winning legal service solutions to private client teams, estate planners and will writers.
Emma has regularly been part of the wills and probate industry round table discussions on knowledge and best practice, as well as giving guidance to probate and estate planning clients. She is also a committee member of the highly successful Women In Wills group run by Today’s Media, the publishers of Today’s Wills and Probate, which Estatesearch sponsors.
Other speakers will include
Dominic Hendry, Estate Research
Matthew Wright, Raymond James
