Trustees will be able to find out ways to stay out of trouble and avoid long and expensive lawsuits at a new legal conference which will take place in April, according to a leading London lawyer.

John Mowbray QC, joint head of chambers at New Square Chambers, and the doyen of the Chancery Bar, will be one of the key speakers at the Conference with Counsel, a new one-day event, which is due to be held on April 12 at Sonesta Beach Hotel.

"We are trying to help trustees and help trusts in a defensive way to avoid getting into trouble, and then looking at ways to get out of trouble, what to do if you are sued and what to do if you are sued in another country and what to do if the beneficiaries ask difficult questions," said Mr. Mowbray yesterday from London.

The event is organised by Appleby Spurling & Kempe and New Square Chambers, and a panel of speakers will address a range of issues which deal with trusts.

"There will be large notes, but rather short talks," Mr. Mowbray said. "They will be about 20 minutes each speaker, but there will be large books that can be put on a shelf and used for reference when needed."

Also speaking at the conference will be the chief executive officer of the Bermuda Monetary Authority, Cheryl-Ann Lister, who will speak about the new legislation and how it will affect trusts.

"The title of the talk is `Regulatory Approach to the Trust' and includes the new era we are going into and will also deal with the OECD so she will explain to the trust people, by way of regulation, what the new regulations will mean," Mr. Mowbray added.

Also speaking will be Robin Mathews who will be one of the three QCs from London.

"The Bermuda Government will have to negotiate with the UK government about transfer of information, and he will be saying what he thinks the Bermuda Government ought to say."

At the conference there will be a panel of speakers from New Square Chambers, 12 New Square, Lincoln's Inn, barristers' chambers in London, Appleby Spurling & Kempe, and Butterfield Trust (Bermuda) Limited.

New Square Chambers are a leading Chancery set, dealing with the whole range of subjects covered in modern Chancery practice-trusts, tax and estates as well as company and commercial litigation, property law generally and public law.

Mr. Mowbray has an extensive trust practice, much of it from offshore jurisdictions, and is a well-known speaker at conferences on trust law. He is one of the editors of the newly-published 17th edition of Lewin on Trusts.

***

Next week the Society of Trust Practitioners will be holding their annual conference at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, which has as its principal sponsor AS&K.

The trust conference will be held at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute on Thursday February 21, at 1pm and includes discussions on trust planning, family office and enduring powers of attorney.