Day 1:
The Society of Will Writers (SWW) Annual Conference 2026 brought together members, partners and professionals from across the estate planning and private client sectors for two days of learning, discussion and networking.
This year marked a particularly special milestone for the SWW as we celebrated our 30th annual conference. Fittingly, the event was also on track for its highest ever attendance, demonstrating the continued growth of both the SWW and the professional community surrounding it.
Across the two days, delegates heard from an impressive rage of speakers covering deputyship applications, trusts and Inheritance Tax, pensions, Will drafting, survivorship clauses, wealth management and estate clams. Alongside the technical programme, conference once again provided an important opportunity for members to come together, share experiences and business connections with other working across the profession.
Opening Addresses – Anthony Belcher, SWW Managing Director
The conference opened with Anthony Belcher, Managing Director of the SWW, who welcomed delegates and reflected on the significance of reaching the SWW’s 30th annual conference.
Anthony highlighted the strength, resilience and growth of the profession over the years and the importance of the members who have continued to support the SWW and its annual Conference. A key theme of his opening address was collaboration, which he described as one of the most important parts of conference and central to bringing the profession together.
He also reflected on the value of conference beyond the formal programme. Estate planning can sometimes be an isolated profession, and events such as conference provide an opportunity to step away from everyday practice, reconnect with familiar faces, meet new people and exchange ideas with other working in the sector.
Anthony took the opportunity to thank everyone who had contributed to making the event possible, including the SWW team, the hotel staff, sponsors and exhibitors. Most importantly, he thanked the members themselves for attending and continuing to support the SWW and its annual conference.
With the SWW celebrating such an important milestone, Anthony’s address provided a fitting start to two days focused on professional development, collaboration and the future of estate planning, before he welcomed Antony Brinkman to the stage for the next session.
Address from the Chairman – Antony Brinkman
SWW’s Chairman Antony Brinkman followed with the annual address from the Professional Standards Board (PSB).
The session continued the SWW’s focus on professional standards and the importance of supporting practitioners as the profession continues to develop. Antony discussed the importance of appropriate insurance and also addressed guidance around retirement, considering what this means both for members approaching retirement and for the clients they support.
Antony highlighted some of the practical support available to members, including templates for newer members and the SWW’s mentoring scheme. He also introduced a new four-day course, which is expected to be ready by the end of the year, as part of the ongoing work to support members in developing their knowledge and practice.
The address also provided some perspective on complaints and professional standards. Of the SWW’s 1,700+ members, only three complaints had progressed to the PSB, highlighting the relatively small number reaching that stage.
Looking ahead, Antony discussed the future direction of the PSB, including plans to engage with more external bodies and provide further guidance for members. This will include additional guidance around Lasting Powers of Attorney, such as what is required when acting as a certificate provider.
Overall, the address reflected the PSB’s continuing work not only to promote high professional standards, but also to provide members with practical guidance, mentoring, training and resources to support them throughout their careers.
Introduction to The Loving Legacies Foundation – Steina McKenna
Steina McKenna, founder of The Loving Legacies Foundation CIC, introduced delegates to the work of the Foundation and the support it provides to individuals and families planning for the future.
The presentation highlighted some of the real scenarios estate planners encounter, including parents concerned about what will happen to a disabled adult child, families dealing with vulnerable beneficiaries and individuals struggling to navigate the support available to them. Steina also shared statistics demonstrating the number of people and families who may require additional support with future planning.
Steina outlined how the Foundation helps by understanding the needs of the individual and exploring appropriate trust structures, grants, guardianship and LPAs, alongside providing access to trusted professional advice and ongoing support. She also explained why estate planners should care, as they are often well placed to identify families who may benefit from this additional support and help ensure they are directed to the right professionals.
The session concluded with ways practitioners can get involved with the Foundation, including becoming a partner firm, making referrals, attending or hosting training, becoming a Foundation Champion, joining the advisory panel or providing sponsorship.
Completing Deputyship Application – Paige Gouldthorpe
Paige Gouldthorpe of Fosters Solicitors delivered a practical session taking delegates through the process of completing a successful deputyship application, while also reflecting on her passion for supporting vulnerable people and ensuring they have the opportunity to access the help and protection they need.
Beginning with the role of the Court of Protection, Paige explained why an application may be necessary where a person lacks capacity to make particular decisions and considered what a successful application should look like. She then worked through the forms required, what to consider when requesting a capacity assessment, and the detailed financial information that needs to be obtained from the client.
Using real-life scenarios throughout, Paige brought the process to life and highlighted some of the practical issues practitioners may face when assisting families. She also discussed the Court’s timescales, what happens once an application has been submitted and the steps that need to be taken once the Deputyship Order is ultimately issued.
Paige concluded with some of the key pitfalls to avoid, including checking whether an existing LPA already provides sufficient authority, ensuring the correct forms have been completed and considering whether specific authority is required to execute estate-planning documents on the person’s behalf.
The session provided a useful step-by-step guide to deputyship applications while reinforcing the wider importance of awareness, accessibility and ensuring vulnerable individuals receive the appropriate protection and support.
Trusts, IHT and Possible Pitfalls – Helen Forster
Helen Forster of HTF Legal turned the focus to trust planning and problem solving, examining some of the tax and practical difficulties that can arise when trusts are used within estate planning.
Helen began by looking at some of the key considerations for lifetime trust planning, encouraging delegates to establish exactly what the client is trying to achieve before recommending a particular structure. The session considered issues such as retaining control, protecting assets and the tax consequences that can arise when assets are transferred into trust.
The presentation then moved on to post-death planning, including the opportunities and limitations of making changes following a death. Helen highlighted the importance of understanding the tax consequences of different arrangements rather than assuming that a trust will automatically provide the desired outcome.
A significant part of the session focused on the relevant property regime, including how trusts can be subject to ten-year anniversary and exit charges. Through worked examples, Helen demonstrated how the value of the trust, available allowances and previous transfers can all affect the eventual tax position.
Helen also looked at trusts to look out for, highlighting arrangements that practitioners may come across when reviewing a client’s existing estate planning. This included considering the nature of the trust, when it was created and the tax treatment that applies, all of which can have an impact on the advice given to the client.
The session concluded by looking at some of the pitfalls that can arise in trust planning, reinforcing the need to understand both the client’s objectives and the tax treatment of the structure being recommended. Through practical examples, Helen demonstrated how seemingly sensible planning can sometimes create unintended consequences if the wider tax position has not been fully considered.
The overarching message was clear: a trust should be used to solve the client’s problem, without inadvertently creating another one.
Live SWW Q&A Pannel
Following lunch, Anthony Belcher, Siobhan Rattigan-Smith, Nick Ash and Nicola Combe joined Antony Brinkman for a Live SWW Q&A.
Bringing together experience from SWW Head Office, the Technical Team and the Professional Standards Board, the session gave delegates an opportunity to put their own questions directly to the panel and discuss the technical and practical issues facing Will writers in everyday practice.
The panel began by introducing their respective roles and clarifying the relationship between the SWW and the Professional Standards Board (PSB). They explained that the PSB is completely independent from the SWW but works closely alongside it, providing guidance and support in areas where this is needed. Delegates also heard how the PSB itself is made up of volunteers, with members elected by fellow PSB members following an application and interview process.
A number of questions focused on member support and development. The panel confirmed that the Estate Planners Podcast can count towards unstructured CPD and highlighted the other opportunities available, including SWW courses, Conference and the monthly CPD quizzes produced by the Technical Team. They also discussed plans to completely redevelop the Find a Member facility, with improved functionality and greater visibility of different membership statuses, which is currently targeted for the end of the year.
The panel also addressed some of the practical limitations faced by Will writers as an unregulated profession, including the certification of documents. They explained that the SWW continues to engage with regulated bodies where change may be possible, although some requirements, particularly those relating to LPAs, are set by legislation and therefore cannot simply be changed by the SWW.
Questions also turned to the support provided by the Technical Team and Sure Will Writer. The panel explained that technical enquiries are received through a shared system and allocated across the team, with responses deliberately sent collectively as the team often collaborates on queries. They also clarified that while the SWW owns the Sure Will Writer branding rather than the software itself, it remains confident in the software and documents produced and continues to feed issues back to WillSuite while working to improve communication.
Other questions covered areas such as buying an estate planning business and working with affiliates, where the panel emphasised the importance of due diligence, shared values and culture. The panel also discussed HMRC tax registration, highlighting the important distinction between providing general guidance and giving specific advice, particularly where a practitioner begins carrying out calculations or providing advice tailored to an individual client.
There were more questions than time allowed, reflecting the level of engagement from delegates. The panel therefore plans to hold a follow-up webinar to address further questions, so members should keep an eye out for more information.
Pensions & IHT – Adam Johnson
Adam Johnson of New Forest Wealth Management delivered a session on Pensions and Inheritance Tax, focusing on the changes due to affect pension planning from April 2027.
Adam considered what the proposed inclusion of unused pension funds within the IHT estate could mean for clients and challenged practitioners to look beyond the traditional assumption that pensions should simply be preserved for inheritance.
A major theme was what Adam described as the potential “double-tax problem” where pension funds may face an IHT charge and the beneficiary may then also face Income Tax when drawing the inherited pension.
Using worked examples, he demonstrated how the eventual amount reaching beneficiaries could be substantially lower than the headline pension value and explored alternative planning approaches, including spending pension funds, reorganising assets and considering life insurance written in trust.
Importantly, Adam also considered the role of the Will writer. Practitioners are not expected to become pension or financial advisers, but they are well placed to identify when a client’s pension arrangements may affect their wider estate plan, review the position and refer the client for appropriate regulated advice where necessary.
His closing message gave delegates a straightforward framework to take back into practice: Identify. Review. Refer.
Tips and Traps on Will Drafting – Professor Lesley King
Professor Lesley King closed Day One’s technical programme with a detailed examination of some of the less obvious traps that can arise in Will drafting.
Her session began with the perils of section 33 of the Wills Act 1837, reminding delegates that where a testator leaves a gift to their child or other descendant who predeceases them leaving issue, section 33 may operate unless a contrary intention appears in the Will.
Using case law, including Naylor v Barlow and Hives v Machin, Lesley explored what is required to demonstrate a contrary intention and the dangers of assuming that apparently straightforward wording will automatically prevent section 33 from applying. She also highlighted the drafting implications where substitute beneficiaries are intended or where a testator deliberately wants a different destination for the gift.
The session then moved to Nil Rate Band legacies, particularly the difficulty of drafting a fixed NRB legacy when the amount available at death may be uncertain. Lesley considered transferable NRB and RNRB, the interaction between different allowances and the complications that can arise where a Will attempts to define the gift too rigidly.
Another important issue was the forthcoming inclusion of pension funds within the IHT estate from April 2027. The presentation highlighted the potential effect on estate values, the NRB and RNRB taper and existing Will provisions containing NRB or pecuniary legacies. Specific and pecuniary gifts may therefore need to be considered carefully where the estate available to meet those gifts could be affected by the new pension treatment.
Lesley also examined the burden of Inheritance Tax, demonstrating how the wording of a Will can determine whether tax falls on a particular gift or instead on residue. Standard precedent wording may offer different options, making it essential that the drafting actually reflects who the client intends should bear the tax.
Finally, she considered planning for beneficiaries who receive means-tested benefits and the dangers of making an outright gift where this could affect entitlement. The session looked at the special IHT treatment available to qualifying disabled person’s trusts, while stressing that simply varying an estate after death cannot correct the use of the wrong type of trust from the outset.
Her message throughout was a familiar but important one for Will writers: get the drafting right the first time.
Day 2: Workshops in Practice
After a packed first day of technical talks and industry updates, Day Two of the SWW 2026 Conference turned its focus to practical learning.
Traditionally the “workshop day”, this year’s sessions gave delegates the opportunity to explore three important areas of modern estate planning practice: survivorship clauses, pensions and wealth management, and potential claims against estates.
Each workshop combined technical guidance with practical examples and scenarios, encouraging delegates to consider how the issues discussed could apply to their own clients.
Chris Rattigan-Smith of WillPack led the first workshop on survivorship clauses in Wills, exploring when these clauses are useful and, importantly, when they may not be appropriate. Chris considered their role in controlling the ultimate destination of assets, avoiding double IHT on deaths in quick succession and dealing with uncertainty over the order of death under the commorientes rule. Through examples involving married and unmarried couples, he demonstrated how the tax consequences can differ significantly depending on a client’s circumstances and highlighted the importance of carefully considering the length and application of any survivorship period.
The second workshop, led by Eleanor Levy and David Jones of NOW: Pensions, focused on pensions and wealth management. They explored how workplace pensions can be viewed as a valuable employee benefit rather than simply another business cost and considered why so many people remain disengaged with their retirement savings. Looking at the different financial priorities of younger, mid-career and pre-retirement employees, Eleanor and David highlighted the importance of making pensions easier to understand and engage with. They also demonstrated how technology, pension apps and simple modelling tools can help individuals better understand their savings and potential retirement outcomes.
The final workshop, led by Stephen Lawson and Katie Latham of IDR Law, took a practical look at contentious probate through the fictional case of “Does Clive Have an Inheritance Act Claim?” Delegates were presented with the story of an estranged son who had received nothing from his father’s £1.3 million estate despite later finding himself in difficult financial circumstances. Stephen and Katie challenged attendees to consider whether Clive had a potential claim, what that claim might be worth and how they would approach the case and develop a strategy if instructed to represent him. The session demonstrated the fact-sensitive nature of Inheritance Act claims and encouraged delegates to consider the wider family relationships, financial circumstances and history behind a potential claim.
Sponsors
The SWW would also like to extend its sincere thanks to this year’s Conference sponsors and exhibitors, whose continued support helped make our 30th annual Conference possible.
A special thank you goes to ZEDRA, WillPack, Legal Growth, Meridian Private Client, SWW Trust Corporation, Marsh Commercial, The National Will Archive, The Property Ladder Group, The National Will Register, Keyra, Charities Aid Foundation, The Estate Planner’s Toolkit, Laurelo and Today’s Wills & Probate for supporting this year’s event.
Their presence throughout Conference provided delegates with another opportunity to explore the services, resources and developments supporting the estate planning profession.
Closing Reflections
From the practicalities of deputyship applications to trust taxation, the changing treatment of pensions, Will drafting traps and contentious probate claims, the 2026 Conference demonstrated once again the extent of knowledge required of modern Will writers and estate planners.
This year’s Conference was particularly special as the SWW celebrated its 30th annual event, providing an opportunity to recognise how far the SWW and the wider profession have developed while continuing to focus firmly on the issues shaping practice today.
A heartfelt thank you goes to all members, speakers, sponsors and partners who joined us for another memorable year. It was a pleasure to come together once again to share knowledge, discuss the challenges facing the profession and celebrate an important milestone in the SWW’s history.
