Private Client Conference - 2nd September 2010

About the speaker(s)

Chris Whitehouse : Christopher is a barrister practising at 5 Stone Buildings, Lincolns Inn and he advises on all aspects of private client taxation, trusts estates and wills. He is recommended as a leading junior for his private client work in the current editions of The Legal 500 and Legal Experts. Christopher is a widely published author and is co-author of 'Pre-Owned Assets: Capital Tax Planning in the New Era', published December 2005;  co-author (with Emma Chamberlain) of 'Trust Taxation: Planning after the Finance Act 2006', published by Sweet and Maxwell in December 2006, a new edition of which is forthcoming; co-author (with Nicholas Hassall) of 'Trusts of Land, Trustee Delegation and The Trustee Act 2000'; co-author of 'Dymond's Capital Taxes'. He is also principal contributor to the volumes of the 'Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents' dealing with Trusts and Settlements; Wills and Administration and Gifts. Christopher is also the IHT correspondent for Private Client Business. He lectures extensively on the subjects of tax, trusts and will drafting and is a member of CIOT, STEP, the Revenue Bar Association, and the Chancery Bar Assocation.

Richard Frimston BSc ARCS TEP CTAPS : Richard qualified as a solicitor in 1979 and a Notary Public in 1995 and has been a partner with Russell-Cooke LLP since 1982 and head of private client since 1993. He has particular expertise in dealing with multi-jurisdictional estates, especially France. Richard is a member of the BIICL, TIAETL, STEP and ACTAPS. He sits on the Law Society International Issues Committee and is its representative to the Union Internationale du Notariat (UIN). Richard is Foreign Affairs correspondent for Sweet & Maxwell’s Private Client Business, a member of the editorial board for European Cross-Border Estate Planning and contributes the international chapter to Heywood & Massey, Court of Protection Practice.

Keith Biggs : Keith was the District Probate Registrar at Winchester for twenty years until 2004. He has lectured in Probate Law since 1987 and is the author of ‘The Practitioner’s Guide to Probate’ (now in its 7th Edition) and a contributor to ‘Administration of Estates’ and ‘The Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precendents (Wills and Administration)’ all published by Lexis Nexis Butterworths Tolley. He is the co-author of ‘Probate and the Administration of Estates: The Law and Practice’ and ‘A Step-by-Step Guide to Wills and Probate’ both published by Callow Publishing. The latter book being for the lay-public.

Geoffrey Shindler OBE is a partner in Lane-Smith & Shindler LLP a Manchester based firm that specialises in wills, trusts, capital taxation and estate work. Geoffrey has a degree and post graduate degree in law from the University of Cambridge and is a solicitor and registered Trust and Estate Practitioner.  He was one of the founder members of STEP and its Chairman between 1994 and 1998.  Chairman of its Education Committee when its Diploma examination was developed and introduced, Geoffrey is now its World President.  He is Chairman of Manchester Camerata orchestra and he serves on the Board of Directors of the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester; he is a trustee of the Manchester Portico Library Charitable Trust.  He is also Vice Chairman of Lancashire County Cricket Club, a member of the UK based Trust Law Committee and has sat on various committees studying the working of inheritance tax legislation in the UK.  Geoffrey is a member of the International Academy of Estate & Trust Law , Consulting Editor of Trusts & Estates Law & Tax Journal and a member of the Editorial Board of Wills & Trusts Law Reports.

Paul Hewitt : Paul is a partner in Withers’ Contentious Trust and Succession group. He specialises in trust and probate disputes including probate and 1975 Act claims (co-authoring Jordan’s Probate Disputes and Remedies and the Law Society’s Inheritance Act Claims), construction and rectification of wills and trusts, and administration disputes. Paul also advises on contentious Court of Protection 'health and welfare' and 'property and affairs' matters involving those unable to make decisions on their own behalf, occasionally acting as 'litigation friend'.  These include statutory will applications, disputes over the appointment or conduct of attorneys and deputies, and applications for gifts and other transactions.  Withers acted the charities in ITW v Z, M [2009] WTLR. Paul is listed as a leading practitioner in Chambers UK and Legal 500.