Kate Mahon shares uplifting stories from her practice and also announces details of July’s virtual annual conference
We are seeing beautiful bluebells at the moment and the promise of warmer days ahead, after what seems like a very long and cold winter and spring – such a change from this time last year! I have just had my vaccine too, and my thanks go out to the NHS for their amazing efforts in rolling out the vaccine so efficiently.
Private client solicitors still seem as busy as ever. We were having a conversation in my office recently about how diverse the work is that we do – from queueing at the bank to register as someone’s attorney or deputy, to going through the house contents and paperwork of a deceased client. I am forever grateful that I specialised in this area of law, as no two days are the same and I really enjoy getting to know my clients and helping them throughout their lives.
I thought I would share some lovely stories that I have come across recently. A couple in their 70s who have been ‘going out’ for 20 years finally decided to tie the knot recently and move in together (the sun shone for them on their special day).
In all the horror stories we have heard recently about care homes and the lack of visits affecting residents’ health, I was overjoyed to hear that a client has been organising events and writing a monthly newsletter at his care home; we spoke in January when he was putting together a Burns supper for the residents. I sent a bottle of Edradour (a lovely whiskey from Scotland’s smallest distillery) for them to toast the haggis – being married to a Scotsman, I know the importance of 25 January! I was so pleased to learn that, with external visits being restricted, the residents have become more sociable with each other over the last year.
We have a fantastic lineup for our virtual annual conference on 1-2 July, and my thanks goes to the committee and the Law Society for their hard work in planning this event. I am thrilled that Lesley King is returning and will be talking about deeds of variation, and we also have a panel discussion on the future of legal technology. Hugh Cumber will be covering gifts with reservation of benefit, and Roman Kubiak will explain how we can make our files more robust from a contentious probate perspective.
We are splitting the event over two mornings because a whole day’s event attended via video can be tiring. I hope that we will be able to see members in person next year. While technology has enabled us to reach a wider audience over the last 12 months, I do miss the informal chats with committee and Private Client Section members before and after our events. Book your conference place on or before 1 June to receive an early-bird discount on top of the one you enjoy as a Section member.
