17th Annual Wills and Estates Conference Online
- About the Conference
- The Faculty
- Feedback
- CPD Certificate
- Registration Special Offer
- Enquiries/Assistance
Date/Time
Thursday 17 & Friday 18 September 2026
JW Marriott, Gold Coast or Online
About the Conference
The landscape of wills and estates practice is shifting beneath practitioners' feet. Federal Budget reforms are upending testamentary trust advice. A new ATO draft determination has put the CGT main residence exemption in doubt. Family provision claims are reaching further than ever before. And the cost of getting it wrong — for clients and practitioners alike — has never been higher.
Now in its 17th year, TEN The Education Network’s two-day conference brings together leading barristers, accredited specialists and senior practitioners from across Australia to cut through the complexity and give you the tools to practise with confidence.
Across 12 sessions, our expert faculty will take you from the frontlines of testamentary trust reform and the CGT implications of post-death occupancy arrangements, through to the expanding reach of family provision claims and the professional responsibility minefield of declining client capacity. You'll also tackle the practical challenges of executor misconduct, probate caveats, and structuring estates for vulnerable beneficiaries.
Day 1 - Thursday 17 September 2026
Morning Theme: Planning Under Pressure - Capacity, Control and Structural Limits
- The End of the Testamentary Trust? Succession Planning After the New 30% Trust Tax
- Can You Act - And Can You Tell Anyone? Capacity and Confidentiality in Succession Planning
- Locking It In? Mutual Wills, BFAs and the Limits of Contractual Succession Planning
- When Gifts Fail: Legacies, Drafting Risks and Unintended Outcomes
Afternoon Theme: Estate Disputes
- Promises Made and Wills Changed: The Limits of Proprietary Estoppel in Family Succession Disputes
- Not Quite a Partner: Informal Relationships and Expanding Family Provision Claims
- Stopping the Grant: Strategic Use of Probate Caveats in Estate Litigation
Day 2 - Friday 18 September 2026
Morning Theme: Drafting for Complex Outcomes
- Providing For Tomorrow: Planning, Establishing and Administering Special Disability Trusts
- Keep it in the Family: Life Estates, Rights of Occupation, and the CGT Main Residence Exemption
- I Don’t Want It: Disclaiming Inheritances Without Triggering Tax, Duty and Family Fallout
Afternoon Theme: Executors Under Pressure
- Show Your Working: Estate Accounts, Beneficiary Demands and the Court’s Supervisory Role
- When the Executor Goes Rogue: Misconduct, Missing Funds and Urgent Court Action
The Faculty
Greg Russo, AccS(Wills&Estates), Principal Solicitor, Greg Russo Law, Melbourne, Vic.
Bryan Mitchell, Principal, Mitchells Solicitors, Accredited Specialist (Succession Law), Brisbane, Qld
Lindsay Ellison SC, Barrister, Wardell Chambers, Sydney, NSW
Jennifer McMillan, Manager - Practice Support Services, Lawcover, Sydney, NSW
Andrew Verspaandonk, Barrister, Victorian Bar, Melbourne, Vic.
Christian Teese, Partner, Rigby Cooke Lawyers, Melbourne, Vic.
Kimberley Martin, Director, WMM Law, Hobart, Tas
Mimi Su, Principal Lawyer, Macpherson Kelley, Sydney, NSW
Paige Edwards, Partner, HopgoodGanim Lawyers, Brisbane, Qld
Carolyn Sparke KC, Barrister, Svenson Barristers, Melbourne, Vic
Feedback
Last year’s conference scored an overall satisfaction rate of 4.9 out of 5!
- This conference was the best conference I have been to. The topics were so interesting and so relevant to my day-to-day practice. The speakers were very high level. Thank you very much.
- Well organised, sessions were all on time and well monitored and most importantly the content was first class. Well done!
- The quality of speakers and depth of delivery was excellent. I loved that the speakers attended for the duration of the conference and were willing and available to chat. It was extremely well organised and run. Thank you for a great few days.
- Having attended CPD conferences for the last 20 years, this has got to be one of the best due to the practical and informative advice from the speakers. I will be attending the next annual conference in 2026! Thank you.
CPD Certificate
Lawyers: 11 CPD units/points (substantive law)
All delegates attending the conference will receive a CPD Certificate confirming attendance.
Registration Special Offer
If you register and pay by 7 August 2026 you will pay only $2178 – a saving of $341 off the full price conference registration fee of $2519.
Multiple registration discount?
If you would like to send 3 or more people from your company to this conference the following discounts apply:
- 3 registrations – 5% discount off each registration
- 4 registrations – 10% discount off each registration
- 5 or more registrations – 15% discount off each registration
To access this discount simply contact Jenna (details below) to organise the registrations for you.
One-day only? We do accept bookings for attending one day only. To organise a one-day booking, please contact Jenna.
Enquiries/Assistance
If you need assistance or have an enquiry, please do not hesitate to contact our Event Manager, Jenna Pickrell, on (03) 8601 7729 or email: [email protected]