Equity release legal firm Equilaw has become the latest product ambassador of the Later Life Academy (LLA).

Equilaw will provide a full range of support and resource to LLA adviser members and will focus specifically on the legal process of equity release conveyancing ensuring advisers avoid the potential pitfalls including a focus on areas such as mental capacity, duress, title issues, amongst others.

The LLA is the recently launched commercial and training organisation for later life advisers, which offers members a flexible commercial and training pathway for those specialising in the provision of products, services, information, guidance and advice to older customers.

The LLA’s focus is on raising standards and ensuring members have access to a range of business opportunities in specific later life advice areas such as equity release, annuities and long-term care.

As an ambassador, Equilaw will be supporting the Academy’s learning and training programme offering full support and guidance on its key areas of expertise. It will help develop and deliver learning modules on these topics, and will have full access to the LLA members to develop strong business relationships.

Membership to the LLA is now open with joining fees starting at £20 per individual per month for those firms with over 16 members, rising to £40 per month for individual associate members. All members pay reduced fees to attend individual full or half day training on a variety of modules including an initial LLA foundation course, annuities and investments, equity release and long-term care, benefits and taxation, trusts, wills and planning, and marketing.

Stuart Wilson, managing partner of Equity Advice and Later Life Academy, said: “While we officially launched the Academy last month, and only started accepted members at the start of February, we have been hugely satisfied with the level of interest we have received from both advisers and providers in such a short space of time.

“It is also very pleasing to be able to announce Equilaw as our latest Product Ambassador and having this successful firm on board provides a real focus for the Academy on all the legal issues associated with equity release. We will be working closely with Equilaw to develop learning modules and training sessions for members which focus on these specialist legal areas and will be developing the ongoing relationship between them and our members to ensure we meet our commercial and business objectives as well.

“The Academy is designed to be the best of both worlds for adviser members – our aim is to create an organisation that fills all their skills and training needs whilst at the same time presenting them with a range of income-generating opportunities. Having quality Product Ambassadors like Equilaw fully engaged with the Academy will help us deliver our overall ambitions and we are delighted to have them on board.”

Claire Barker, managing partner at Equilaw, added: “Equilaw is very pleased to become the Later Life Academy’s latest Ambassador. We believe it is absolutely vital for advisers in the later life sphere to embrace the resources and toolkit that the Academy has to offer. This will include many years of expertise, an appetite to work together to get the best results for clients and the opportunity to deal with providers who are completely committed to best practice.

“We would ask all later life advisers why work alone when this pooled resource will revolutionise their ability to advise competently and safely with like-minded individuals? This is an important milestone for the later life advice community and Equilaw is looking forward to working with all stakeholders to ensure its success.”