Estate Planning Courses in Singapore

Estate planning is a multidisciplinary field. The professionals who develop expertise in it typically come from one of four backgrounds:

• Singapore-qualified lawyers. Practitioners in private client, trusts, family law, and probate practice who deepen their knowledge through continuing professional development (CPD) and specialist qualifications.
• Financial advisers and wealth managers. Professionals advising high-net-worth clients on the financial elements of estate planning, often within private banks, family offices, or independent financial advisory firms.
• Accountants and tax advisers. Professionals advising on the tax interactions of estate plans, particularly for cross-border situations and family business succession.
• Trust officers and corporate-services professionals. Staff at licensed trust companies, family offices, and corporate-services firms involved in trust administration and family-governance support.

The Singapore estate-planning ecosystem requires coordination across these disciplines. Lawyers draft the legal instruments; financial advisers structure the assets; accountants address the tax interactions; and trust officers administer ongoing arrangements. Cross-disciplinary training helps each professional understand what the others contribute and where their own scope ends.

The training landscape in Singapore is more fragmented than in some larger jurisdictions. There is no single "estate planning bar exam" or government-administered qualification. Instead, several routes lead to varying degrees of recognised competency, ranging from short CPD modules to multi-year specialist diplomas. This article maps the major options.

There is no statutory requirement in Singapore that a solicitor hold a specialist qualification to draft wills, LPAs, or AMDs. A current Practising Certificate suffices. However, complex matters — trust structuring, family office establishment, cross-border estates — typically attract solicitors with additional specialist training and credentials.

The remainder of this article surveys the principal training routes. The information is current as at 2026 but specific programmes, fees, and intake schedules change frequently. Always verify directly with each provider.

The Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) is the principal body administering continuing professional development for Singapore lawyers and offers a wide range of estate planning-relevant programmes. SAL's role under the Singapore Academy of Law Act 1988 includes the development and accreditation of professional training for the legal profession.

SAL's CPD offerings in estate planning typically include:

• Short CPD seminars. Half-day or full-day programmes covering specific topics — recent case law on testamentary capacity, the latest updates from the Office of the Public Guardian, cross-border probate, trust drafting refresher courses, and the like.
• SAL Academy of Law programmes. Structured courses, sometimes spanning several days, that cover broader topic areas such as private client practice, family business succession, or tax interactions.
• Wills Registry training. Sessions specifically targeted at solicitors using the SAL Wills Registry, covering registration practice, retrieval procedures, and integration with probate applications.
• Specialist accreditation programmes. Some SAL programmes lead to recognised specialist accreditation, although estate planning does not currently have a formal SAL "specialist accreditation" track in the way some other practice areas do.

SAL's offerings are designed primarily for Singapore-qualified lawyers but are often open to other professionals (accountants, financial advisers, trust officers) on a case-by-case basis. CPD points earned through SAL programmes count toward the annual CPD requirements imposed on practising lawyers by the Law Society of Singapore.

SAL also publishes practice guides, model precedents, and journal articles on estate-planning topics through Academy Publishing. The Wills, Probate and Estates volume of LexisNexis Practical Guidance — written by Singapore practitioners — covers the practice areas in depth. SAL members can access many of these resources through SAL's online portals.

For solicitors and other professionals seeking ongoing CPD in estate planning, SAL is the natural starting point. Programmes are listed on the SAL website and updated quarterly.

Singapore Management University (SMU) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) both offer postgraduate programmes relevant to estate planning. These tend to be broader than estate planning alone, but several have estate-planning electives or specialisation tracks.

SMU programmes

SMU's School of Law offers a Master of Laws (LLM) with electives covering trusts, succession, and wealth management. SMU also operates the SMU Centre for AI & Data in Society and houses various research centres that occasionally touch on private-client topics. The SMU LLM is part-time and aimed at practising professionals; modules are taught in evening or weekend formats.

SMU's Lee Kong Chian School of Business runs executive programmes on wealth management and family business succession, sometimes co-taught with international partners. These programmes target executives in private banking, family offices, and wealth advisory rather than lawyers, but cover legal frameworks at a working level.

NUS programmes

NUS Faculty of Law offers an LLM with extensive elective coverage, including modules on private international law, succession, trusts, and tax. NUS's LLM is recognised internationally and is a common further qualification for Singapore-qualified lawyers entering the private-client field. Modules are taught in semester-length formats and are typically full-time, although some are accessible to working professionals.

NUS also operates the EW Barker Centre for Law & Business and the Centre for Banking & Finance Law, both of which run occasional events relevant to estate planning practice.

Other Singapore academic providers

Other tertiary institutions — including SUSS (Singapore University of Social Sciences) and the polytechnic system — offer programmes touching on estate planning, generally aimed at financial-advisory professionals rather than lawyers. These programmes count toward continuing education requirements for financial advisers under MAS frameworks but do not confer legal-practice credentials.

University programmes provide depth but require significant time investment. They are most appropriate for professionals committing to estate planning as a career focus rather than as one of several practice areas.

Several professional bodies offer certifications recognised internationally that are relevant to Singapore estate planning practice. These certifications are often pursued by practitioners seeking formal credentials beyond the basic professional qualification.

Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)

The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) is the leading international body for trust and estate professionals. STEP membership is held by Singapore-qualified lawyers, trust officers, accountants, and financial advisers active in the field.

STEP offers two principal qualification routes:

• STEP Diploma. A structured qualification covering trust law, taxation of trusts, estate planning, and trust administration. Available in various jurisdictional flavours (England & Wales, international, etc.). Successful completion leads to TEP (Trust and Estate Practitioner) designation.
• STEP Certificates. Shorter qualifications covering specific topics such as international tax of trusts, anti-money laundering, or family business advising.

STEP runs a Singapore branch with regular local events. TEP designation is widely recognised among Singapore family offices, trust companies, and private banks as a marker of trust and estate competence.

Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ICAS)

The Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA) (the local body, sometimes referred to colloquially as ICAS in older materials) runs CPD programmes for chartered accountants that include tax-focused estate planning content. Modules cover estate taxation interactions, family business succession, and trust accounting.

ISCA programmes are aimed at accountants and tax practitioners rather than lawyers, but are useful for lawyers seeking to understand the tax dimensions of estate plans more deeply.

Other relevant credentials

• Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). The CFA Institute curriculum covers wealth management including aspects of estate planning, particularly relevant for portfolio managers and wealth advisers.
• Certified Financial Planner (CFP). The Financial Planning Association of Singapore administers CFP certification, which includes estate planning as one of the core competency areas.
• Chartered Wealth Manager (CWM). A wealth-management certification with private-client content.

The choice between these certifications depends on the professional's primary discipline. STEP is the obvious choice for trust and estate specialists. CFP/CFA suit financial advisers. ISCA suits tax practitioners.

A significant ecosystem of private training providers supplements the formal options. These providers run targeted courses on specific estate-planning topics, often led by practising solicitors, financial advisers, or industry consultants.

Typical offerings include:

• Will-drafting workshops. Practical sessions on drafting common will provisions, dealing with non-standard family situations, and avoiding the pitfalls that lead to probate disputes.
• LPA training. Programmes covering the Mental Capacity Act 2008, LPA forms, certificate-issuer responsibilities, and OPG registration practice. Some programmes prepare medical practitioners to qualify as accredited LPA certificate issuers.
• Trust structuring courses. Practical training on Singapore-resident and offshore trust structures, fiduciary duties, and the interaction with section 13O/13U family office incentives.
• Cross-border estate planning. Specialised courses on the interaction of Singapore law with UK, US, Australian, and regional Asian succession regimes.
• Family business succession. Programmes addressing the operational and governance side of intergenerational business transition, often co-run with consulting firms.
• Industry conferences. Annual or semi-annual events (sometimes run by STEP Singapore, sometimes by independent organisers) covering current developments in the field.

Quality varies considerably among private providers. Before enrolling, verify:

• The credentials of the lead trainer — practising solicitor, TEP, recognised academic;
• Whether CPD points are awarded and recognised by the appropriate professional body;
• The provider's track record and reputation within the Singapore professional community;
• The course materials — whether tailored to Singapore law specifically, or generic materials adapted from other jurisdictions.

For solicitors, courses recognised by the Law Society of Singapore for CPD credit are preferable. For accountants, ISCA-recognised CPD. For financial advisers, MAS-recognised CPD under the Financial Advisers Act framework.

Be cautious of training materials that mix jurisdictions without flagging the differences. Estate planning materials drawn from UK, US, or Australian sources may contain provisions that do not operate the same way under Singapore law. Course materials should explicitly identify which jurisdiction's law is being taught at each point.

For professionals new to Singapore estate planning, a structured learning path commonly looks something like this:

1. Foundation reading. Read the four core Singapore statutes — Wills Act 1838, Intestate Succession Act 1967, Mental Capacity Act 2008, Advance Medical Directive Act 1996 — on Singapore Statutes Online. Supplement with the OPG's published materials on LPAs.
2. SAL CPD seminars. Attend two or three SAL CPD sessions on core topics — will drafting, LPA practice, probate procedure — to develop a working understanding of how the statutes apply in practice.
3. Practitioner mentorship. Where possible, work alongside an experienced estate-planning solicitor on actual matters. Practical exposure is the most effective form of learning in this field.
4. Specialised training. For deeper expertise, consider a structured programme — STEP Diploma for trust and estate specialists, an SMU/NUS LLM elective track for academic depth, or specialist short courses for particular sub-topics.
5. Ongoing CPD. Maintain currency through SAL programmes, STEP Singapore events, industry conferences, and reading. Estate-planning law is relatively stable but practice evolves — particularly in areas such as cross-border estates, digital assets, and family office structures.
6. Cross-disciplinary fluency. Develop a working understanding of the adjacent disciplines (tax, financial planning, trust administration) even if not your primary practice area. Effective estate planning requires coordination across them.

For non-lawyers — financial advisers, accountants, trust officers — the legal-content portion of training is essential but does not qualify the professional to practise law. Drafting wills, LPAs, and trusts for clients is reserved to Singapore-qualified solicitors with current Practising Certificates. Non-lawyers can advise on the financial and structural elements but must direct legal drafting to a qualified solicitor.

For Singapore-qualified solicitors considering estate planning as a practice focus, the field rewards depth. Standard wills and LPAs are well understood; the value-add for clients lies in complex situations — blended families, cross-border assets, special-needs beneficiaries, business succession — where specialist training significantly improves outcomes.

To engage a Singapore-qualified solicitor for estate planning advice, see our find a lawyer directory or contact us. For an overview of how estate planning fits together, see our estate planning in Singapore article and the parent wills and estate planning hub.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Always consult a Singapore-qualified lawyer holding a current Practising Certificate before acting. Course information is current as at 2026 and subject to change; verify directly with each provider.