The second annual Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners -- STEP -- conference will be held at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute on Thursday, 15th February. The conference will examine current issues relating to trusts and their administration.

The conference begins at 1 p.m. with a welcome from Laurence Aquilina-Stott, chairperson of STEP's Bermuda branch. This will be followed by an address from Cheryl Lister, chairman of the Bermuda Monetary Authority.

The first speaker is Dawn Goodman who will speak about "Trusts and Estates -- Avoiding Litigation at all Costs?'' Ms Goodman is a litigation partner at Withers in London and is head of the firm's domestic and offshore trust and probate litigation group. She qualified in 1980, became a partner in 1985 in the UK, then became a partner with Withers in 1989.

She lectures and writes on probate and trust litigation and charity law and was co-author of Probate Disputes and Remedies, published by FT Law and Tax.

She also contributed to the Law Society's "Probate Practitioner's Handbook'' and Tolley's "Administration of Trusts.'' Alec Anderson will be the next speaker and he will examine "Legal Issues in Trust Administration.'' Mr. Anderson is a barrister and attorney with Conyers, Dill & Pearman specialising in trust law and private client matters, including international estate planning and structuring commercial transactions with trusts. He is currently head of the firm's private client and trust department and is responsible for Codan Trust Company, a licensed trust company affiliated with CD&P.

He is also a member of both the International Academy of Trust and Estate Law and the Law Reform Sub-Committee on Trust Law, and is chairman of BIBA's Trust Law Committee. He has authored a number of publications including the Bermuda chapters in International Trust Precedents and International Trust and Estate Planning.

The final speaker will be Dr. Donovan Waters, QC, associate counsel with Douglas Symes & Brissenden in Vancouver. He will speak on "Protectors and Enforcers -- New Wine in old Bottles.'' Following his education at Oxford University and the University of London, Dr.

Waters held teaching posts at Oxford University, the University of London, the University of Chicago, the University of Saskatchewan, McGill University and then the University of Victoria until his retirement in 1996.

He is a leading authority on both Canadian and foreign trust law and his book, The Law of Trusts in Canada, continues to be cited frequently in the courts and is used in all Canadian law schools. He wrote The Constructive Trust in 1964 and has written numerous law journal articles as well as lecturing internationally on trust law topics. He was awarded the degrees of Doctor of Civil Law by Oxford University in 1990 and Doctor of Law by the University of Victoria in 1995.

Further information on the conference can be obtained from John Harper at the Harrington Trust (telephone 298-7878).

BUSINESS BUC