Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Trusts - London (Bar)

1
Band 1

What the Team is Known For

The substantial team based at Wilberforce Chambers is routinely praised for its ability to "understand trusts both from a legal sense and commercially speaking" and to "tailor advice in ways which allows clients to not only understand the legal position, but also how it applies to their specific situation." Its barristers have considerable experience of handling high-profile trusts matters including those pertaining to the administration of estates, trust issues in matrimonial proceedings and international disputes. Recent highlights include Wong v Grand View Private Trust Company Ltd and ors.

Nicholas Luckman is the practice director.

Strengths

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Notable Practitioners

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1
Andrew Mold
1
Band 1

Andrew Mold KC has particular expertise in breach of trust and breach of fiduciary duty claims. He is also known for his skill with regard to the treatment of trust assets in high-value divorce cases. His experience extends to offshore disputes and he is also admitted to the Cayman Islands Bar.

Andrew comes up with good commercial points exactly when needed.

Andrew is technically impressive but has no ego. He's easy to work with, he understands what the client wants and he is always client-focused in his advice.

Andrew is meticulous, technically excellent and an absolute joy to work with. He is very clear and practical when giving advice.

Andrew is commercially and strategically brilliant. He has a sharp mind and is able to get into the weeds without ever losing sight of the bigger picture.

Andrew Mold inspires trust in our clients.

1
Brian Green
1
Band 1

Brian Green KC is lauded as one of the foremost trusts barristers. He handles a broad range of both domestic and international cases, and is particularly recognised for his offshore expertise and his handling of disputes involving the variation of trusts. His recent advisory work has centred on trusts in the Bahamas, the Cook Islands, Gibraltar and New Zealand.

Brian is very good. He is able to explain very complex concepts to lay clients in a simple way.

Brian is unmatched in his field. He's a genuine powerhouse of a legal thinker and a great strategist, who is a pleasure to work with. His knowledge and insight are without equal.

Brian is obviously fantastic and his reputation speaks for itself. He is a real heavyweight counsel, whose views are given enormous respect by overseas judges.

Brian gets to grips with the issues incredibly quickly. He has a great way of understanding and explaining things, and has the capacity to tackles complex issues in writing very promptly.

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Clare Stanley
1
Band 1

Clare Stanley KC boasts a strong reputation for handling matters including trusts and probate, commercial litigation and professional negligence cases. She is experienced in contentious trusts litigation between beneficiaries and trustees, international trusts litigation and trust arbitration.

Clare is technically brilliant and able to see her way through a myriad of issues very easily. A pleasure to work with, she is unflappable and exceptional when before the court.

Clare is great to work with and is a silk at the top of her game. She's highly technically skilled and a great advocate.

A barrister with a phenomenal brain, she really thinks things through and explains things to clients in a way that they can understand.

Clare is a very prepared and forceful advocate, who's fun, hardworking and incredibly bright. What sets her apart is how calm she stays throughout.

Clare has got a great reputation, is robust in her views and is willing to take a position. She doesn't sit on the fence and that comes from experience.

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Fenner Moeran
1
Band 1

Fenner Moeran KC is known for handling sensitive trusts disputes involving complex family situations. He often acts for large financial institutions and has developed a substantial offshore disputes practice.

Fenner has this extraordinary ability to explain complex concepts in layman's terms. He can understand complex briefs quickly and efficiently.

Fenner is experienced and has a killer instinct for getting to the heart of the matter. He understands how things will work from the outset.

Fenner just deploys his experience to really good effect and achieves constrictive solutions for clients. He is an excellent advocate, who is a very reassuring presence for judges.

Fenner is extremely knowledgeable in his subject field, He is a robust, diligent and persuasive advocate.

Clearly a highly knowledgeable barrister, but also an energetic individual that makes you feel there will be some momentum behind the advice he gives.

1
Gilead Cooper
1
Band 1

Gilead Cooper KC is instructed in some of the most important and high-profile trusts cases of recent years. He has a well-regarded international practice and acts for many significant clients in this area. Cooper is admitted to the BVI Bar and frequently appears in the courts of the Cayman Islands and Hong Kong.

Gilead is great - a man with two brains. He is pragmatic, very easy to deal with and very accommodating. His advice is very professional, concise and helpful.

A man with a great intellect, who is very imaginative and thinks laterally. Gilead is accessible, hard-working and someone who absolutely immerses himself in the case.

Gilead is a fantastic advocate and one of those people with an enormous brain. He's great at cross-examining and loves a good fight.

Gilead is a real brainbox. He's able to argue any side of any argument in a really exceptional way, a bit like a scholar.

Gilead is very innovative in his solutions and also has a very good style.

1
Jonathan Hilliard
1
Band 1

Jonathan Hilliard KC has appeared in many confidential and high-value trusts and divorce cases in the UK courts and in offshore jurisdictions. He also regularly acts for trustees in professional negligence and breach of trust claims. His expertise includes in-depth knowledge of trusts that hold complex corporate structures.

Jonathan is phenomenally hard-working and will help you through all sorts of issues. He is always available and his analytical skills are second to none.

Jonathan's mastery of all manner of legal trust concepts is remarkable. He has this incredible ability to read and digest evidence.

Jonathan was fantastic at articulating our case, which had some incredibly complex trust points. He had the court eating out of his hands. It was extraordinary.

Jonathan gets very much into the heart of the legal issues and is good at giving a steer as to what judges are thinking. He gives very detailed advisory notes at very short notice.

Jonathan is astounding in his intellectual ability. He's got so much experience that he instantly has thoughts on any question imaginable.

1
Joseph Steadman
1
Band 1

Joseph Steadman is regularly instructed in the High Court and has a strong chancery practice that spans general commercial matters as well as trusts and estates. He is experienced in handling onshore and offshore trust cases, and has particular expertise in advising in relation to tax considerations.

Joseph Steadman is a scarily bright and highly responsive, who works far above his level of seniority. He will always keep us informed as to capacity and is an absolute pleasure to work with.

Joseph is really brilliant. He's phenomenally bright and really client-friendly.

Joseph stood up and persuaded the judge to see things our way. He's incredibly articulate and very persuasive, and the judge liked his manner and accepted his reasoning.

Joseph Steadman is good at details, very happy to roll his sleeves up and very easy to work with. He has a great manner with clients and is not afraid to be robust when he needs to be.

Joseph has a very easy manner that comes over well. He's approachable, bright and someone who can crack through the issues.

1
Michael Ashdown
1
Band 1

Michael Ashdown has known expertise handling chancery matters including trusts and estates. He is experienced in dealing with offshore instructions, such as in Jersey, Guernsey and the BVI, and appears regularly in the High Court and the County Court.

Michael is a methodical and pragmatic lawyer. His application of the law is great, but he is also able to dovetail pragmatism into his advice and look at the big picture.

Michael Ashdown thrives in cases involving the most complex issues of fact and law.

Michael is very clever and very nice with it. He's a go-to individual if I want forensic analysis.

Michael Ashdown is very good at translating complex issues into intelligible language.

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Michael Furness
1
Band 1

Michael Furness is a renowned expert in onshore and offshore trust litigation and related professional negligence claims. He has appeared in cases in Bermuda, Hong Kong, Cayman and Jersey, amongst other jurisdictions.

Very technical and super clever. You can give him the hardest structures in trusts and he'll find a way through. He distils the most complex problem into a commercial and client friendly document.

A very experienced advocate, who cuts through cases effectively to get to the key issues. He is excellent at identifying pathways to success.

One of the few KCs you can go to both for both tax and trust issues. He has a very attractive way of dealing with matters, and offers no-nonsense, down to earth advice.

A supremely clever man, who is brilliant on the trusts and pensions crossover. He thinks creatively and is loved by clients as they are delighted by his solutions.

1
Nikki Singla
1
Band 1

Nikki Singla KC has a wealth of experience in handling commercial and trusts matters, and is regularly seen in the Chancery Division and the Commercial Court. He is also experienced in handling international matters, with prior cases in Mauritius, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.

Nikki is very responsive. He's very good in court and his court advocacy is excellent. He is compassionate, intelligent and someone who produces excellent advocacy.

Nikki is super accommodating and approachable. What I like about him is that he is great at reading a room and adapting his style. He knows when he needs to soften or toughen his approach.

Nikki is exceptional and extra strong in commercial matters. He is a real, genuine leading light.

1
Robert Ham
1
Band 1

Robert Ham KC offers significant expertise in trusts law as part of his broad private client law practice. He handles both contentious and non-contentious mandates in the UK and abroad. Ham is particularly adept dealing with offshore disputes for wealthy families and trust companies.

Robert is very knowledgeable and very good at looking at complex trust structures. He has a massive amount of technical trusts knowledge and also appreciation of tax law.

A man with loads of experience and wisdom, he has good instinct and great drafting skills.

Robert is excellent. He's always prepared to give a proper opinion on delicate matters.

We required someone able to deal with complicated strategic issues. Robert's help proved invaluable.

1
Tom Roscoe
1
Band 1

Tom Roscoe has a strong chancery practice which includes advising on contentious trusts, wills and estates. He takes national and international instructions, and in particular has disputes experience in the Cayman Islands, the BVI and Guernsey.

Tom Roscoe is our go-to person for trusts. He picks up on the details quickly.

Tom pulls out all the stops, is hardworking and is very bright. He's super intelligent and able to think outside the box.

Tom got some very difficult instructions and turned around an incredible opinion in hours. His written work is top notch, he works well with all parties and he is good on strategy.

Tom Roscoe is not an ivory tower barrister. He's bright, personable and very popular.

He's very friendly, very easy to engage with and also very commercial. What he delivers is brilliant.

Ranked Barristers at
Wilberforce Chambers

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Band

Silks (KC)

London (Bar)

Trusts

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Andrew Mold KC
1
Band 1
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Brian Green KC
1
Band 1
1
Clare Stanley KC
1
Band 1
1
Fenner Moeran KC
1
Band 1
1
Gilead Cooper KC
1
Band 1
1
Jonathan Hilliard KC
1
Band 1
1
Michael Furness KC
1
Band 1
1
Nikki Singla KC
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Band 1
1
Robert Ham KC
1
Band 1

Juniors

London (Bar)

Trusts

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Joseph Steadman
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Band 1
1
Michael Ashdown
1
Band 1
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Tom Roscoe
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Band 1