A one day conference to discuss the Wills Bill 2025 and related matters
At Selwyn College, Cambridge, 13 April 2026
Registration is now open
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-law-of-succession-and-the-wills-bill-tickets-1979863201131
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 The current law, largely set down in the Wills Act 1837, is outdated and reform is needed.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 conference provides that opportunity.
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.
Agenda
| 8.30 – 9.30 | Registration and Refreshments | |
| 9.30 – 10.00 | Welcome and Introduction | Juliet Brook and Derek Whayman, University of Reading
Elizabeth Welch, Law Commission |
| 10.00 – 11.00 | Panel 1
Dr Richard Hedlund (University of Lincoln) Dr Sarah Gilmartin (Lancaster University) |
Electronic Wills
Digital Wills: is the Law Commission hampered by tradition? Validity of Electronic Wills in the Law Commission’s Draft Wills Bill |
| 11.00 – 11.30 | Coffee | |
| 11.30 – 13.00 | Panel 2
Alexander Learmonth KC Dr Che Ekaratne (University of Reading) Dr Juliet Brook (University of Reading) |
Dispensing Powers
Consequences of a Dispensing Power Dispensing Powers: A Comparative Analysis Bringing Intention to the Fore: Dispensing Powers and Testamentary Intention |
| 13.00 – 14.00 | Lunch | |
| 14.00 – 15.00 | Panel 3
Dr Daniel Bedford (University of Portsmouth) Dr Anthony Murphy (Ovidius University of Constanța) |
Capacity and Vulnerability
Testamentary Capacity after the Draft Wills Bill Another Nail in the Coffin: Comparative Perspectives on Protecting Vulnerable Testators |
| 15.00 – 15.20 | Tea | |
| 15.20 – 16.50 | Panel 4
Dr Derek Whayman (University of Reading) Dr David Salmons (Aston Law School) Dr Zubair Abbasi (Royal Holloway, University of London) |
Further Considerations
Will Substitutes and Evading the Formalities Donatio Mortis Causa and the Wills Bill
Sharia Compliant Wills and the Wills Bill |
| 16.50 – 17.00 | Closing remarks | Juliet Brook / Derek Whayman |
About the Organisers
Dr Juliet Brook and Dr Derek Whayman are co-convenors of the conference.