Private Wealth Disputes

We are a market leading Private Wealth Disputes team ranked in the top tier by both Chambers HNW and Legal 500.

We provide bespoke strategic advice alongside a comprehensive dispute resolution and litigation practice. Our expertise is trusted consistently by high net worth individuals, professional trustees and other fiduciaries as well as private banks to take robust steps to protect their legal rights and deliver practical solutions.

What we do:

International trust disputes

• Acting for professional trustees, protectors, beneficiaries, legal guardians in offshore litigation;
• Experience with key international trust jurisdictions including: Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, British Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Hong Kong and Liechtenstein.
• Advice to offshore trustees in connection with UK matrimonial proceedings.

International estate disputes

• Coordinating strategy across multiple jurisdictions and advising on succession and conflicts of laws.

Bespoke strategic advice

• Corporate governance for businesses held in trust.
• Decision making by trustees under pressure from hostile beneficiaries.
• Lobbying trustees on behalf of beneficiaries.
• Litigation risk advice for ownership structures and transactions.
• Crisis management and special situations.

Domestic litigation and dispute resolution

• Challenges to English wills.
• Claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family Dependants) Act 1975.
• Court of Protection applications.
• Unfair prejudice claims.
• Professional negligence claims.

Where we work

From our base in London we work with best in class overseas counsel to deliver seamless international legal advice to our clients. Our team meet with clients and conduct negotiations with counterparties on their behalves both domestically and internationally. The team speak at leading international private wealth conferences around the world, including STEP, Legal Week, the Cambridge Forum, the Contentious Trusts Association and Fresh Perspectives.

Recent highlights

Public Trustee v Cooper applications: Applications to offshore courts concerning the restructuring of trusts holding significant trading businesses (+$1bn)

Unfair prejudice proceedings: Acting in High Court proceedings in relation to a UK business held by family trusts (settled confidentially)

African business dispute: A trust dispute concerning trading businesses in Africa working closely with the commercial management team and financiers (+$1.5bn)

Privy Council: Acting as Privy Council agent in a high profile trust dispute on appeal from the Jersey Court of Appeal

Matrimonial dispute: Advice to an offshore trustee in relation to disclosure in high profile financial remedy proceedings in the high court

(PQ and anor v RS and ors [2019] EWHC 1643 (Ch): Acting as litigation friend for two minor beneficiaries in connection with the blessing of the trustees’ decision to include their sibling as a beneficiary of substantial trusts

Cowan v Foreman & Ors [2019] EWHC 349 (Fam): Advising in a number of claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975