Litigation, Disputes & Drafting Risk

Designed for Your Organization

Our Enterprise Solutions team works with you to build the right experience — whether that's a keynote address, a half-day workshop, a multi-session webinar series, or a fully integrated training program. Topics, format, session length, and depth of content are all customizable to align with your audience, your objectives, and your timeline.

Course Topics

Estate & Trust Litigation Overview
Discover current trends in estate and trust litigation, common causes of disputes, and strategies to prevent and prepare for potential conflicts. This webinar provides practical insights for minimizing risk and managing litigation effectively when it arises.

Bad Drafting Horror Stories
This engaging session highlights real-world examples of poor drafting and the costly consequences that follow. From flawed equalization provisions to ambiguous distribution standards and problematic incentive clauses, participants will learn how to avoid common pitfalls and draft with precision.

Intentional Interference with Inheritance

When traditional will contests fail to provide relief, intentional interference with inheritance may offer an alternative path. This program examines where the tort has been adopted or rejected, the required elements of proof, available damages, and strategic considerations. Special attention is given to disputes involving non-probate assets and the limitations of conventional remedies.

Pre-Mortem Will Contests
Post-mortem will contests often come too late to resolve underlying family conflict or capacity concerns. This session examines the rise of pre-mortem will contests, including statutory frameworks, drafting challenges, and strategic tradeoffs. Alternatives and practical guidance are provided for planners advising cautious or high-risk clients.

Removing a Trustee for Conflicts with a Co-Trustee or Beneficiary
Conflicts involving trustees can threaten trust administration and beneficiary relationships alike. This program examines the legal standards and procedural pathways for trustee removal arising from conflicts with co-trustees or beneficiaries, along with evidentiary and strategic considerations. Alternatives to removal and settlement-oriented solutions are also explored.

Grounds for Removal of a Trustee: A Nationwide Overview
Trustee removal is governed by broadly shared principles that transcend individual state statutes. This session provides a nationwide overview of recognized grounds for removal, evidentiary burdens, procedural options, and judicial remedies. Strategic drafting considerations, ethical responsibilities, and alternatives to removal are addressed from both petitioner and respondent perspectives.

Who Should Enroll and Why

Trust Officers and Fiduciaries will gain valuable insight into the most common causes of trust and estate disputes and how fiduciary actions, documentation, and communication choices affect litigation risk. This course helps you recognize warning signs, apply best practices to reduce exposure, and respond more effectively when conflicts escalate.

Financial Advisors and Wealth Managers will deepen their understanding of how drafting choices, beneficiary designations, and family dynamics can lead to disputes. This knowledge supports stronger planning conversations, better coordination with attorneys and trustees, and improved ability to help clients structure plans that reduce conflict and preserve relationships.

Estate Planning Attorneys, Paralegals, and Legal Professionals will benefit from focused discussion of drafting risks, litigation trends, and dispute resolution considerations. The course reinforces practical drafting insights, highlights common mistakes, and provides guidance on how documents are interpreted and challenged in real‑world litigation.

Aspiring Trust and Wealth Professionals will find this program to be an important introduction to the risks inherent in estate planning and administration. By understanding how disputes arise and how professional decisions influence outcomes, participants will be better prepared for developing roles involving fiduciary responsibility, planning support, or client advisory services.

Course Instructors

Daniel A. Smith, CFP®, CWS®

As a dedicated professional, Daniel Smith believes that everyone deserves sound advice and exceptional service. With his extensive real-world experience, Daniel brings a spirited approach to his instruction, helping advisors put their knowledge into immediate, practical use to better serve their clients. His expertise lies in sales and relationship management skills, which he seamlessly integrates with the complexities of estate planning, estate taxation, charitable giving, and investment management. By doing so, Daniel empowers advisors to effectively guide wealthy clients and their families in achieving their goals.

Before joining Cannon, Daniel spent years as a client-facing advisor in the Wealth Management and Trust business. His 25 years of experience with Cannon have further enriched his knowledge, as he constantly interacts with top financial advisors and wealthy individuals across the globe, incorporating best practices into his teachings.

A sought-after speaker, Daniel frequently presents at financial services firms and conferences worldwide, covering topics such as sales, exceptional service, estate planning, taxation, and industry trends. His insights have been featured in numerous publications, including Trusts & Estates and Registered Rep magazines. As the leader of Cannon Trust School, the largest trust school in the country, Daniel continues to make a significant impact on the industry. His consulting work spans distance-based learning solutions, private family wealth consultation, and expert witness services.

Meagan MacBean, J.D.

Meagan MacBean is a dedicated professional who believes that exceptional service is rooted in a deep understanding of the complexities of estate and trust law. As the founder of The MacBean Law Firm, LLC, she brings extensive experience as both a practicing attorney and a former Trust Officer to her work. Meagan provides a spirited, real-world approach to her instruction, helping advisors translate technical knowledge into immediate, practical solutions for their clients. Her expertise seamlessly integrates the nuances of estate planning, asset protection, and planning for incapacity with the operational realities of trust and estate administration.

Before establishing her own firm, Meagan spent years advising high-net-worth clients on wealth transfer strategies and fiduciary responsibilities. Her professional background is further enriched by her academic contributions; she serves as a Lecturer at Mississippi State University, where she teaches Real Estate Law, International Business Law, and Entrepreneur Law. This dual perspective, balancing private practice with academic instruction, allows her to empower advisors to effectively guide wealthy families in achieving their long-term goals.

A highly credentialed expert, Meagan is an honors graduate of Cannon Financial Institute Trust School and holds a J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law. Her insights have been featured in publications such as SC Lawyer Magazine, and she is a recognized leader in the field, having been selected for the Mississippi Bar Association’s Leadership Forum and Portico Jackson Magazine’s "Portico 15". Through her work as a guest instructor and her specialized practice in fiduciary litigation and tax preparation, Meagan continues to make a significant impact on the industry.