A one day conference to discuss the Wills Bill 2025 and related matters
At Selwyn College, Cambridge, 13 April 2026
Call for Papers
The Law Commission’s Wills project has been active since 2016. It will modernise the law governing wills so that it is fit for purpose in the modern age. As the Law Commission says, ‘wills are one of the most important documents a person might sign during their lives. How property passed on death depends on whether the person died with a valid will in place, because a will is the primary way that a person can determine what happens to their property when they die. The ability to make a will, and in whatever terms the person wishes, is a fundamental legal principle of the law of England and Wales.’ The current law, largely set down in the Wills Act 1837, is outdated and reform is needed.
In May 2025, the Law Commission published a draft Wills Bill, alongside a detailed report that explains the responses to the 2017 Consultation Paper. The government has welcomed the report, and has promised to give it detailed consideration.
While there was an opportunity for practitioners and academics to respond to both the 2017 Consultation Paper, and the 2023 Supplementary Consultation Paper, there has not yet been the opportunity to comment on the Bill itself.
The organisers seek abstracts of research papers concerning the draft Wills Bill 2025 and the Law Commission’s consultation and reports in this matter. As ever a combination of different perspectives will allow us to understand the policy choices in the Bill, those provisions that arguably ought to be in the Bill, and the problems solved, ameliorated or perhaps unfortunately introduced inadvertently in these reforms. The organisers therefore invite abstracts from a plurality of perspectives, including academics, practitioners, and independent researchers and postgraduate students.
Please send written abstracts of a maximum 500 words to succession2026@reading.ac.uk by 21 December 2025 11:59pm.
About the Conference
The conference will take place at Selwyn College, Cambridge, in The Diamond conference room, Cripps Court (across Grange Road from the main entrance) on 13 April 2026. Light refreshments and lunch will be provided.
Speakers will present their paper for 15-20 minutes in panels of 3-4 papers, followed by an opportunity for questions.
Selected papers will be published, after the conference, in a special edition of the Conveyancer and Property Lawyer.
The conference is kindly supported by a grant from the Society of Legal Scholars. Accordingly there is no registration fee.
Participants will be required to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements to the conference. There will be three small travel bursaries available for presenters who are unable to obtain funding for travel from their institution (including postgraduate students). If you wish to be considered for a bursary, please indicate this on the abstract.
About the Organisers
Dr Juliet Brook and Dr Derek Whayman are co-convenors of the conference.
Registration
There is no fee but capacity is limited by the venue. Registration will open and details will be posted soon.