Lifetime Lawyers National Conference 2024
On Thursday 20th June 2024 we gathered at The Shaw Theatre in London for the Lifetime Lawyers National Conference “It’s A Family Affair”.
This year’s conference took the form of a day long case study exploring the challenges faced by Ricky and Stephanie’s blended family. I was joined by Ian Bond, Caroline Bielanska, Tom Dumont KC, and Cate Searle to untangle the various issues for their immediate family and beyond.
The event took place at The Shaw Theatre, part of the Pullman London St Pancras hotel. It’s a stunning venue in the heart of London which has played host to a wide range of drama, dance, musical theatre, and concerts and plays a significant role in the cultural landscape of Kings Cross.
After the welcome address from our chairman Michael Culver, I began the day with a session on advising LGBTQIA+ clients and surrogacy Wills. We then heard from our Principal Sponsor, Charles Stanley, before taking a break for coffee.
Next came Ian Bond’s session on Inheritance Tax and digital assets including the tax benefits of Ricky and Stephanie marrying or entering a civil partnership and tackling #NSFW content!
Our next sponsor Arken introduced us to the benefits of using their will writing software and shared insights from their recent research before Caroline Bielanska walked us through initial advice to Ricky about his son Max who has an autistic spectrum condition and what happens when Max turns 18.
We then broke for lunch which gave us the opportunity to network and speak to sponsors in the fantastic networking space available space to us.
After lunch our CEO Lakshmi Turner hosted the prize draws and introduced our sponsor Estatesearch who walked us through their estate due diligence services which include a digital asset search. In the afternoon we had an entertaining session with Tom Dumont KC on the likely success of a 1975 Act claim where an adult child is estranged from their parents then, in the final session, Cate Searle talked us through safeguarding issues, mental capacity and care planning for Ricky’s parents, including the current legal position surrounding people who to go to Dignitas.
To conclude the day there was a drinks reception in the lounge and it was great to catch up with everybody in person and unwind after a very thought-provoking day.
Feedback received about the speakers and the venue has been fantastic and I personally spoke to many people who attended and felt it was the best of our conferences so far. So, here’s to next year’s conference!
(Author: Kirsty Limacher, Lifetime Lawyers chief legal officer)