THE LAW SOCIETY’S PRIVATE CLIENT SOLICITORS SECTION

The Law Society’s Private Client Solicitors Section is the membership group for private client practitioners working in wills and probate, estate and tax planning, trusts and mental capacity.

With a membership of over 1500 private client solicitors across UK and Wales, the Section provides you with a wide network of professionals to help you share knowledge, best practice and experiences and make connections.

Our annual programme of support is delivered by experts in their field and will equip you with the latest thinking in private client work, keeping you up to date with the most timely and vital issues private client practitioners need to know about. This year our key areas of focus to support and update our members on:

 Trust Registration Service

 Modernising lasting powers of attorney

 Probate Service

 Court of Protection

 Mental Capacity Act code of practice

 The Hague Convention for the protection of adults

 Older and vulnerable client care

 Wills reform

 Cross-border practice

 Management of Digital Assets

Spotlight on last month

On 26 January the Private Client Solicitors Section hosted a joint online event with the Property Section entitled “Acting in probate sales or transactions where the owner lacks mental capacity”. The panel had speakers from both Section Advisory Committees and included Philip Askew, Partner (Stone King LLP); Sarah Cookson, Director & Solicitor, Head of Conveyancing Department (Switalskis Solicitors) and Fiona Heald, Partner, Moore Barlow LLP.

Property practitioners are instructed to act for attorneys, deputies and executors or trustees. This webinar provided basic principles of beneficial ownership, best practice in such transactions and what to look out for. It was a great practical session with 339 delegates registering to attend and a high-level of engagement with questions on the day. The event was complimented by a useful resource and checklist that can be used in practice which members of our section can access together with a recording of the webinar.

What’s coming up?

New for 2023 we have launched a series of four online classrooms on our new learning and development platform on the Essentials of Cross-Border Private Client Practice.

They are written and delivered by leading private client practitioners in a live interactive format, with plenty of opportunity to ask questions relevant to your practice areas. You will also be able to access the content on-demand at any time. Find out more and book your place at: learn. lawsociety.org.uk/product/essentials-of-cross-borderprivate-client-practice-series-bundle.

Save the date

Our flagship Private Client Annual Conference takes place on 28 June 2023 and brings together expert speakers and audiences from across the country to explore the key issues and the latest thinking in the private client area and practice.

Interested in becoming a member?

Membership of the Section is open to all private client practitioners working in wills and probate, estate and tax planning, trusts and mental capacity. Our annual programme of support is delivered by experts in their field and will equip you with the latest thinking in private client work, keeping you up-to-date with the most timely and vital issues private client practitioners need to know about. Benefits include free access to exclusive on demand online content, magazines, newsletters, face-toface networking events and topical live online classrooms as well as discounts on related events and publications. Find out more and join at: communities.lawsociety.org. uk/private-client or email MSadmin@lawsociety.org. uk