This masterclass has been designed to enable succession lawyers to earn their 10 CPD units for the CPD year ending 31.3.23 

Delegates will attend 6 substantive law sessions live online at the Masterclass and we’ll supply 4 free on-demand video webinars – 3 covering each of the compulsory subjects plus 1 other - to view at your leisure by 31.3.23.  So all up you will earn your 10 CPD units for this CPD year.

All delegates will receive a CPD certificate following the masterclass.

• What, When and How: Knowledge and Approval in Estate Litigation
  • The case of Lewis v Lewis highlighted the challenges of overturning the presumption of knowledge and approval, even where capacity may not be an issue. This session will examine the important lessons from this case for succession lawyers.
• Be Careful What You Wish for: Statements of Wishes in the Firing Line
  • A letter or memorandum of wishes accompanying a will or inter vivos family trust can be a helpful tool for an executor or trustee, but also have the potential to cause discontent and lead to challenges. This session provides a tool kit for practitioners in drafting letters/memorandums of wishes and a guide to avoiding the problems that can accompany these personal letters.
• Double Trouble? The Perils and Pitfalls of Mutual Wills
  • The benefits of mutual wills can be significant, but in practice mutual wills have their problems and limitations in terms of drafting, enforcement and family impact. This session will examine those issues and provide guidance to practitioners in how to navigate and minimise the risks.
• In for a Penny, In for a Pound: Family Provision Claims and Non - Biological Children
  • The concept of a family has greatly changed over the last few generations and, further complicated by assisted reproduction technology, the issue of who is a child has become far more complex. This session will examine the availability of potential claims against an estate by a person who is not a child of the deceased in a traditional sense.
• Testamentary Trusts: Holding Trustees to Account in Discretionary Decision-Making
  • Being a trustee of a testamentary trust brings with it great responsibility and sometimes onerous obligations. While in most cases the duties are carried out in accordance with the law and testamentary powers, the courts have also had to deal with decision-making that goes beyond the powers and even into the realm of bad faith. This session will explore the duties of trustees and examine cases where the courts have had to intervene to remedy the situation.
• Disapproval and Removal: Showing Executors the Door
  • Courts are more willing to deal with executor bad behaviour than they have been in the past, but it’s no easy feat and can impose a heavy toll on family relationships and the management of the estate. This session will explore the options and processes involved in executor removal.

In addition, all delegates will receive the following on demand video webinars.  These webinars are being recorded in February and will be provided online by end February 2023 for you to view at your leisure by 31.3.23.

1. Practitioner Executors Dealing with Estate Assets (ethics)
2. Professional Responsibility for Determining Capacity (professional skills)
3. Electronic Documents, the Digital Age and the Succession Law Practice (practice management & business skills)
4. Anoint and Appoint: Key Clauses in Testamentary Trust Deeds (substantive law)

Dr John de Groot, Special Counsel, De Groots Wills & Estate Lawyers, Brisbane, Qld (Chair)

Angela Cornford-Scott, Director, Cornford-Scott Lawyers, Brisbane, QLD

Paul Evans, Partner, Makinson d'Apice Lawyers, Sydney

Justine Taylor, Principal Director, Uther Webster & Evans, Sydney, NSW

Indran Sinnadurai, Special Counsel, Makinson d'Apice Lawyers, Sydney, NSW (Chair)

John Armfield, Barrister and Mediator, Wentworth Chambers, Sydney, NSW

Hayley Mitchell, Partner, Cooper Grace Ward Lawyers, Brisbane, Qld

Lucy McPherson, Special Counsel, Attwood Marshall Lawyers, Gold Coast, Qld

10 CPD units – 6 substantive law units for attending the Masterclass PLUS we will provide you with 4 free on demand video webinars – 3 covering each of the compulsory subjects (Ethics, Practice Management & Business Skills and Professional Skills) plus one other substantive law program - for you to view at your leisure prior to 31 March 2023.  The recorded webinars will be made available for viewing by end February 2023.

Please check your CPD rules to ensure that you are able to claim 4 CPD units from viewing recorded webinars.  Most states have allowance for claiming CPD for viewing recorded webinars.  [WA practitioners – you cannot claim our recorded webinars as we are unable to verify that you have viewed them].

If you register and pay by 10 March 2023 you will pay only $990 – a saving of $110 off the full price conference registration fee of $1100.