February 19, 2019
David Walbank QC was invited to give one of the main lectures at this year’s annual conference of ‘Alpine STEP’ (the Swiss and Liechtenstein Federation of the International Society of Trust and Estate Planners), which was held in Interlaken, Switzerland in January 2019.
David’s fellow lecturers included Her Excellency Jane Owen (HM Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation), Count Francis von Seilern-Aspang (Chairman and Managing Director of the wealth preservation experts, Industrie-und Finanzkontor Ets.) and Her Serene Highness Princess Therese of Liechtenstein. Other speakers included leading academics from the University of Geneva and King’s College London as well as an array of private client specialists from across the globe and some of the top tax and trust lawyers from leading London firms, including Baker McKenzie, MacFarlanes, Withers Worldwide, Charles Russell Speechlys, Forsters and Mishcon de Reya.
The 3-day conference was entitled ‘International Client Services: A Coin With Two Sides’ and took as its theme the tension between ever increasing regulation and the continuing demand for top quality client service. It was attended by over 250 lawyers, trustees and other wealth management professionals from Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.
David gave his lecture in the prime-time slot from 2pm to 3:30pm on the opening day of the conference. He focused on the ever-increasing danger of criminal investigation and prosecution faced by today’s professionals working in the private client, wealth management and tax planning sector. You can read more about the content of his talk and the themes explored at the conference as a whole by clicking [here].