Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Life Interest Clauses and Potential for Disputes
- What do life interest clauses grant and common misconceptions: ownership vs usage rights
- How to draft such clauses properly to avoid misinterpretation
- Where disputes can arise
- Other implications
Presented by Maria Young, Trusts and Estates – Principal, Cavell Leitch
Chair
Theresa Donnelly, Legal Services Manager, Perpetual Guardian
Learning Objectives:
- Identify and address common misconceptions around life interest clauses, particularly in relation to ownership vs usage rights
- Learn practical drafting strategies to reduce the likelihood of disputes arising from life interest provisions
Description
Attend and earn 1 CPD hour
* This interactive online recording includes questions and quizzes requiring critical thinking about the topics, so you have no annual limits to the number of points/hours you can claim with this format of learning. Please verify with your CPD rules
Presenters
Theresa Donnelly, Legal Services Manager, Perpetual Guardian
Theresa Donnelly has a wealth of experience in elder law and trust related matters. Theresa graduated from Auckland University in 1992 and has over 30 years’ experience in private practice, government and in-house Legal. Theresa is currently the Legal Services Manager at Perpetual Guardian, and formerly Public Trust (Team Leader) and the Ministry of Social Development, where she was (lead Senior Public Law Team). She is a regular presenter and speaker for professional groups such as Legalwise, NZLS/CLE, TLANZ, CCH and other professional organisations.
Maria Young, Principal – Trust and Estates, Cavell Leitch
Maria is a trusts and estates practitioner with extensive experience in all aspects of asset protection and family succession planning for clients, including setting up bespoke trust structures, advice on trust and estate disputes, Wills and Enduring Powers of Attorney, capacity and residential care subsidy issues. Maria has presented papers for CLE New Zealand Law Society and Legalwise. She is a principal in the Trusts & Estates team at Cavell Leitch and a member of STEP.
