Overview
I’m a Senior Associate in Disputed Wills & Estates team.
I am a specialist litigator with a focus on inheritance and estate-based private wealth disputes.
Litigation in this sector should be thoughtful, decisive and outcome focused. With this ethos in mind, I strive to balance sensitivity with strategy led practical advice which has solid legal foundation.
I act for a wider range of clients, who are typically private individuals, executors, trustees, beneficiaries and national charities. My instructions are typically high value and/or complex disputes relating to the validity and construction of a Will, the management and handling of trusts and estates and/or in relation to claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 and proprietary estoppel. I have specific experience in handling inheritance disputes which involve historic abuse, alcoholism, bi-polar affective disorders and suicide.
I work alongside Cancer Research UK as their appointed preferred legal supplier for contentious probate matters. I am proud to support their legacy team in defending the charitable legacies kindly donated to them together with working closely with many national charities in relation to the extensive litigious issues which arise within the legacy sector.
I support Alexa Payet in advising families regarding the potential financial consequences of assisted suicide and applications for relief from forfeiture under the Forfeiture Act 1982.
I enjoy sharing knowledge in the contentious probate and charity sectors. A personal highlight and real privilege was to speak at the International Workshop on Legacy Giving in South Korea with Tony Cockayne to share best practice in legacy disputes.
I am a full member of the Association of Contentious Trusts and Probate Specialists and the Contentious Trusts Association and am grateful to have been recognised by the Legal 500 and a Rising Star and latterly a Leading Associate.
Recent experience
Advising national charities in relation to a Will construction claim and securing an early and competitive settlement on confidential terms which protects the charities’ interests and includes a full recovery of their costs
Securing a multi-million-pound spousal settlement under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 involving complex issues arising from long-term domestic abuse and professional negligence
Advising in respect of a Will construction claim in which the primary dispute related to the treatment of royalties for work which has national recognition.
Securing, with colleagues, a confidential settlement in relation to a high-profile estate in which the Deceased had failed to appreciate the nature and complexities of his business interests to the detriment of those who financially relied on him. The result provided financial certainty for those involved and avoided what would otherwise have included unwanted media attention
Advising a national charity in respect of the sensitive recovery of a legacy relating to historic faith-based abuse
Negotiating a settlement of a Knowledge and Approval claim at mediation which preserved the terms of the Deceased’s last Will, and importantly for our client, prevented the requirement for his family business to be sold and embroiled in the dispute
Bringing a claim on behalf of an adult child and her minor son under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. This particularly challenging case included the requirement to quantify long-term complex care needs which were intertwined with his mother’s needs as parent. It resulted in a successful and early settlement
Successfully defending a series of six competing validity and family provision claims against a high value estate on behalf of the charitable beneficiaries
