28th July 2026
The Wills Workshop: A New Full-Day CPD Masterclass for Irish Solicitors
Erin International is launching The Wills Workshop, a full-day, in-person CPD masterclass for Irish solicitors and legal professionals who draft Wills and handle probate. Running as a twelve-date series from September to December 2026, it’s delivered nationwide by two practitioners who each bring more than twenty years of experience to the room.
Why This CPD Day Is Different
Most CPD sessions on Wills cover one side of the process – either drafting, or what happens at probate. The Wills Workshop covers both halves of the same lifecycle in one sitting: how instructions are properly taken and a Will is drafted, and exactly what the Probate Office checks before accepting an application. That front-to-back view is what makes the day genuinely useful – not just a refresher on best practice, but a clear look at where Wills actually go wrong, and why.
Attendance carries 6 General CPD points, and every participant receives course materials and a model Will to take home.
Meet the Speakers
Laurie Darcy qualified as a solicitor in 2010 and works as a locum in offices that need assistance progressing probate files and fixing rejected applications. That work gives her a rare, close-up view of exactly where Wills go wrong in practice, and she has built a particular specialism in risk management – helping firms adopt up-to-date instruction sheets, checklists and precedents to prevent those problems before they start. Laurie completed the STEP Diploma in 2021, is admitted to practice as a solicitor in England and Wales, and now tutors on the Law Society’s PPC Advanced Probate & Tax module.
Caroline McCall spent more than twenty years inside the High Court Probate Office, working across both the Probate Seat Office and the Personal Applications Service. Few people outside the Office see as many Wills cross a desk, or develop as clear a sense of which applications sail through and which get sent back – and why. She holds a Diploma in Trust and Estate Planning, a Diploma in Genealogy and Family History from UCD, and a Diploma in Information Science from Trinity College Dublin. Caroline now leads Erin International’s Probate Pre-Check Service, helping solicitors nationwide get their applications accepted on the first submission.
What the Day Covers
- Taking proper Will instructions, with a page-by-page walkthrough of a precedent instruction sheet
- Key Succession Act provisions on advancement, debt on property, appropriation, and pre-deceased issue
- What the Probate Office looks for in a valid Will – attestation, capacity, and establishing the last Will
- Typical Will clauses, from specific devises to charitable legacies and simple trusts
- A hands-on Will drafting exercise in groups, including a foreign element and a charitable bequest
Twelve Dates Across Ireland
The Wills Workshop runs in bursts of three dates a month, September through December 2026, so solicitors nationwide have a convenient date and location to choose from:
September
- Tuesday 15th September – Dublin, Ashling Hotel
- Wednesday 16th September – Dundalk, Gateway Hotel
- Thursday 17th September – Tullamore, Bridge House Hotel
October
- Wednesday 7th October – Limerick, The Absolute Hotel
- Thursday 8th October – Killarney, Ballygarry Hotel
- Friday 9th October – Cork, The Metropole
November
- Wednesday 4th November – Galway, Salthill Hotel
- Thursday 5th November – Castlebar, Ellison Hotel
- Friday 6th November – Sligo, Clayton Hotel
December
- Wednesday 9th December – Wexford, Whites of Wexford
- Thursday 10th December – Kilkenny, River Court Hotel
- Friday 11th December – Dublin, Ashling Hotel
Each date runs 09:15 – 16:00 and carries the same 6 General CPD points, speakers, and course content.
Book Your Seat
Numbers at each date are limited, so every attendee gets proper time with Laurie and Caroline during the drafting exercise. Full details and booking for each date are available on The Wills Workshop Website.
With Thanks to Our Sponsors
The Wills Workshop is proudly supported by Currencies Direct and LEAP Legal Software. Their partnership has helped bring this CPD series to solicitors nationwide, and we’re grateful to have them on board.
The Wills Workshop is delivered by Erin International, specialists in probate and legal education for Irish solicitors.