About Us
The Modernising Wills Industry Panel brings together senior representatives from across the UK private client sector, including legal practice, professional bodies, and technology providers.
Following the Law Commission of England and Wales’s Modernising Wills Law report (May 2025), the Panel was convened to examine the legal, evidential, and technological implications of Electronic Wills, and to develop practical recommendations for their safe implementation.
Output
Over the coming months, dedicated working groups will examine specific topic areas through a programme of roundtables, podcasts, and published white papers.
Each group will identify key risks, evaluate potential mitigations, and produce practical recommendations to support the safe, secure, and reliable introduction of Electronic Wills.
Panel Members
Anna-Marie, Partner - Birchall Blackburn Law
Anna-Marie is a Partner and Solicitor at Birchall Blackburn Law specialising in wills, estate administration and Court of Protection matters. A specialist private client solicitor for more than a decade, she is known for providing straightforward, sensitive advice on personal and financial matters, with particular experience supporting older and vulnerable clients. She is also Chair of the South Ribble Dementia Community Connection.
Anthony Belcher, Managing Director - Society of Will Writers
Anthony Belcher is Managing Director of The Society of Will Writers and a strong advocate for raising professional standards through education. He champions robust training and guidance to help practitioners meet the highest standards and is particularly passionate about modernising Wills law to reflect the digital age. He believes a contemporary legal framework, supported by rigorous practitioner development, is essential for both consumer protection and the future of the estate planning profession.
Anthony Philips, CEO - Arken Legal
Anthony Philips is Chief Executive Officer of Arken. Previously a practising solicitor, he brings more than 20 years of global technology leadership experience, with a background in digital transformation, product innovation, business development and scaling high-growth organisations. He is passionate about helping legal professionals embrace technology that improves efficiency and client outcomes, while supporting the ongoing modernisation of Wills and estate planning.
David Sutton, Senior Account Executive - Actionstep
David Sutton is Senior Account Executive for UK and Europe at Actionstep, where he works with modern, forward-thinking law firms to implement cloud-based practice management technology. With nearly two decades in legal technology and sales roles across Actionstep, Redbrick Solutions, Peppermint Technology and Advanced, he is recognised for helping firms improve profitability, compliance and client service through workflow, automation and business management platforms.
Helen Claydon, Co-Founder and Chief Legal Officer - HAIG Legal Group
Helen is a multi award-winning lawyer and STEP member specialising in Wills, Trusts, Probate, and Property. A Licensed Conveyancer, Licensed Probate Practitioner, and Chartered Legal Executive, she also holds qualifications in Court of Protection matters and Trust Disputes.
Helen leads a nationwide legal team and serves as Head of Legal for the TAS Network, where she mentors professionals across the sector. She is passionate about accessibility, raising standards, and driving innovation within the legal industry.
Ian Bond, Head of Legal - Farewill
Ian Bond is a private client solicitor and full STEP member with extensive experience in wills, probate, trusts and estate planning. He is currently Head of Legal at Farewill, COLP for Dignity Legal Services and in-house legal counsel for Dignity Funerals. He is also a longstanding member of the Law Society’s Wills and Equity Committee and is recognised for his contribution to probate reform, private client best practice and innovation in legal services.
Karl Taylor, Head of Wills, Trust & Probate - Norrie, Waite & Slater Solicitors
Karl Taylor is Head of Wills, Trust and Probate at Norrie, Waite & Slater Solicitors, providing clear, concise and expert advice on wills, lasting powers of attorney, estate administration, inheritance tax, asset protection, trusts and Court of Protection matters. STEP qualified and holding the STEP Advanced Certificate, he is recognised for his specialist expertise in private client work and his practical, client-focused approach.
Kristina Smith, Partner - Birchall Blackburn Law
Kristina Smith is a STEP qualified solicitor specialising in wills, probate, lasting powers of attorney and Court of Protection matters. She is a member of the Lifetime Lawyers, Professional Deputies Forum, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and the Private Client Section, and is recognised for her knowledgeable, client-focused approach to private client work.
Louise Sackey, Founder - PPL Solicitors
Louise Sackey the founder of PPL Solicitors, a law firm specialising in contentious probate matters including will disputes, Inheritance Act claims, and trustee and estate disputes. She combines technical expertise with a sensitive, client-focused approach, recognising the challenges clients face following bereavement. Louise brings a commercially minded and practical perspective to the Wills Modernisation Industry Panel, with insight into how disputes arise and how processes could better serve clients in order to avoid disputes or to resolve them quicker.
Mevludin Dzihic, CTO - Lawtech 365
Mevludin leads the development and innovation of platforms such as Verify 365, tmSign and tmForms. Focused on compliance, client onboarding, Qualified Electronic eSignatures and digital legal services in general, the team at Lawtech focus on delivering products which meet and every changing legal landscape.
With Private Client work seeing its largest changes in decades, Mev and the wider team are uniquely placed to build and position technology to support that change.
Michael Culver, Founder - Culver Law Ltd
Michael Culver is a solicitor and founder of Culver Law Ltd, a specialist private client firm with offices in London, Cambridge and St Albans. A Chartered Tax Adviser and full STEP and ACTAPS member, he is a former Chair of the Association of Lifetime Lawyers and currently chairs the Vulnerable Banking Group.
An experienced practitioner, Michael regularly acts as a professional executor, trustee, attorney and deputy in the Court of Protection. He is also author of The Law of Gifts and was named “Industry Champion” at the 2021 British Wills and Probate Awards.
Oliver Asha, Founder, Director and Solicitor - Digilegal Ltd / Capacity Vault
Oliver Asha is a solicitor, TEP and legal tech innovator, and the founder of Digilegal and Capacity Vault. He specialises in wills, estate planning, mental capacity and protecting the wishes of elderly and vulnerable clients, combining private client expertise with technology to make legal services more accessible, secure and affordable. He is recognised for his work in online wills, capacity evidence and innovation across the private client sector.
Seb Shakh, CEO - Superlawyer.io
Seb Shakh is CEO of Superlawyer.io and a legal tech founder focused on helping private client practitioners streamline wills, probate and LPA work through modern software and intelligent automation. With a background in building legal technology products, he has been involved in developing tools that improve efficiency, simplify drafting and support innovation across legal services.