Paralegal Webinar & Virtual Networking Event

A free networking event for members of the Institute of Paralegals, legal professionals and law students.

The Institute of Paralegals have established a series of monthly virtual events to provide you with a platform to hear from two guest speakers on a range of topics, ask questions and to connect.

Our free monthly events officially runs for an hour, between 1pm-2pm however you will be able to join the meeting from 12:45pm to allow you time to get settled in and introduce yourself to the group via the chat facility.

Talk 1: Assessing mental capacity – a case study

Synopsis

Mrs Brown is a sprightly octogenarian of 85 years who lives in her own home with occasional assistance with shopping and cleaning from a private carer. She has two children Joe and Sarah. Joe lives just round the corner from Mrs Brown, Sarah lives 50 miles away. Joe has dropped his mum off today to have her Will drafted by you. He stays in the waiting room while she breezes into your office.

Mrs Brown is a chatty individual and talks for a long time about her children when they were little, her cat and her deceased husband. She is detailed in her conversation and completely lucid. You have a cup of tea with Mrs Brown, talk to her for a long time and you are sure that she is completely competent to make her will. It is a simple will anyway – she leaves 70% of her entire estate to Joe because he is such a good boy looking after her, and 30% to Sarah.

Mrs Brown dies six months later leaving an estate of £950,000. Sarah contests the will saying that she was the one who looked after her mother and arranged for the carer to step in when she couldn’t make the trip. She alleges undue influence on the part of her brother who, she says, saw very little of their mother. Sarah produces a will made three years earlier leaving her 50% of the estate with 30% going to Joe and 20% to the Blue Cross. Your file note records that Mrs Brown was lively and appeared to be in good health and that she was supported by her son. You have not recorded the size of the estate or the existence of an earlier will.

What are the implications of the above situation?   What are the ramifications of such a failure?  What can you do to assure mental capacity is correctly assessed?

Speakers

Samantha Warner, Head of Product at Arken.Legal (UK) Ltd

Samantha Warner read law at Cambridge and qualified as a barrister and solicitor in New Zealand, working in large firms there for a number of years.

Samantha has held company directorships and legal advisory roles in diverse industries including technology, hospitality, intellectual property and cosmetics. Samantha has a passion for product and the many benefits that legal tech can bring to estate planning practitioners.

Pippa Shepherd, Head of Customer Engagement at Arken.legal (UK) Ltd and a board member of the UKLTA

Pippa joined Arken in 2018 to lead the sales, marketing and customer success functions.  Previously Pippa has held senior commercial roles across sales, marketing and customer engagement and ran large business streams.  Passionate about customer engagement and client centricity, Pippa loves to understand business process and see how tech can assist in improving the client experience as well as efficiency and risk management.

Talk 2: Legal Services – Looking to the future

Synopsis

Looking to the future in the post pandemic world requires a change of mind-set and a new approach to thinking about legal services delivery.  During this talk, I will address what we have learnt over the last 18 months and what this means for staff, clients and law firms as we all get to grips with changes and opportunities that we now have in front of us.

Speaker

Carrie Caladine, Managing Director, Right Legal Group

Carrie is one of the co-founders and the Managing Director of Right Legal Group Limited, a private client focused ABS established in 2014.  Recognised for its forward thinking, innovative and commercial approach, RLG collaborates with law firms across the country to deliver its unique service called rightwill.  With a background in business management and finance working in both hospitality and the charity sectors prior to the launch of Right Legal Group, Carrie has led the development of RLG’s impressive infrastructure built upon firm business principles, putting staff development and client experience at the heart of its operation.

Sponsorship Opportunities

If you are interested in sponsoring one of our events, please email the Membership Team on [email protected]

About The Institute of Paralegals

The Institute of Paralegals is an international professional Institute for paralegals and the only Institute in the UK. We are passionate about upholding the highest professional standards in knowledge, practice and ethics across the paralegal profession - aims more relevant than ever as the world begins to emerge from the effects of COVID-19.

Paralegals are in demand and this is the time to stand out from the crowd and join our growing and vibrant community of legal professionals.

For more information regarding membership and the benefits visit How to Become a Member, call us on 020 3011 2610 or email [email protected]