On 6 th and 7 th February 2020 DQ’s Adam Killip attended the annual ‘Trusts in Litigation’ conference organised by the Contentious Trusts Association (ConTrA), which was held this year in Helsinki, Finland.

This conference principally focuses upon current trends and developments in international Trust Law, Insolvency and Commercial Fraud and attracts an impressive array of keynote speakers from solicitors’ firms and barristers’ chambers alike. Now in its third year, the conference has grown from an initial attendance of 100 in 2018; to 150 participants in 2019, and now over 200 delegates in 2020.

Amongst the topics for discussion this year were:

• The enforcement of cross-border court orders in the context of trusts and private companies;
• The scope of the court’s power to issue directions and make determinations in cases involving trusts, especially where all of the beneficiaries agree with a trustee’s proposed course of action;
• The practical advantages and disadvantages of family investment companies and foundations versus a more traditional trust arrangement; and
• The legal and regulatory barriers to investing in companies specialising in the legal cultivation of cannabis in countries like Canada and certain states in the USA.

Once the formal part of the conference had concluded, delegates were treated to winter activities in the Nuuksio National Park beginning with archery and a hike to a frozen lake, and culminating in a husky sled ride in very snowy conditions.

Upon his return from the conference, Adam commented: “The breadth of the subjects discussed, and the opportunity to debate them face-to-face with leading experts from the British Isles and further afield, made this conference an extremely useful and informative event to attend. This area of the law can evolve very quickly and so it is critical that DQ is able to advise its clients on the latest developments across a wide range of subjects in trust and commercial law”.

For further information as to how DQ can assist you with contentious and non-contentious matters in Private Client and Trust law, please contact Annemarie Hughes, Donna Matthews or Adam Killip.