Hugh James is "one of the best operators in the Welsh market," says one source. The firm handles both contentious and non-contentious private client work. A respected barrister says it is the "pre-eminent contentious trust and probate team" in this market, and adds that it also "attracts national work."
Another commentator finds the firm "a very approachable company," adding that the team "are able to communicate easily at all levels of their organisation." One market insider says it is a team of "very proactive and engaged" individuals who are "ambitious and achieving great results for their clients."
Notable practitioners
Managing partner Alun Jones oversees the firm's private client services. A source says: "Alun is commercially excellent."
Eleanor Evans is a private client specialist who is particularly adept at drafting wills and handling probate and tax matters as head of Hugh James's trust and administration team. A source says: "She has a very good demeanour and is very calm and poised. It's an excellent bespoke all-round service which is very much tailored to the client."
The "highly recommended" Matthew Evans is "vastly experienced; he approaches cases in a sensible and commercial way and gets cracking results," says a barrister. He is called a "first port of call" for his expertise as a litigator.Another source says: "Matt is clearly doing a great job leading the private client team."
Roman Kubiak is held in extremely high regard for his contentious probate practice. He leads Hugh James's contested wills, trusts and estates team. A commentator says: "He is clearly bright and is able to relay quite complex stuff quite simply." Kubiak "is charming and works unbelievably hard on cases," says a barrister, while another source mentions that he is "full of energy and expertise, and is clearly destined for even greater things."
Vlad Macdonald-Munteanu is an associate who deals with contentious probate issues, particularly proprietary estoppel and Inheritance Act claims. A respected barrister enthuses that he is "a very impressive solicitor whose work is always extremely thorough, and a very bright and personable chap." A fellow solicitor says: "He has really good knowledge - he's really sound."
