Hannah Mantle

Practice Areas

Hannah is a Partner, who joined our Contentious Trusts and Estates team in May 2019. Specialising in contentious private client matters throughout her career, she is highly experienced in advising professional clients and private individuals, both domestically and internationally. She ensures that each client achieves the best result for them – taking cases to a final Court hearing where necessary, and encouraging settlement and mediation wherever appropriate.

Contentious Probate and disputed lifetime gifts:

Probate disputes – Hannah advises on claims relating to validity of Wills (e.g. capacity, undue influence and knowledge and approval), and rectification and construction of Wills.

Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 – Hannah acts for claimants and defendants in claims by spouses, partners, children and other dependants.

Hannah is regularly instructed to act on contentious cross border estates, including issues of domicile and other issues of conflict of laws / private international law.

Hannah’s matters often include challenges to lifetime gifts and other inherited property disputes, such as proprietary estoppel and TLATA 1996.

Hannah acts on applications to approve sales of foreign property for minor children.

Contentious trust practice:

Variation of trusts – Hannah advises on variations requiring Court application and variations without court approval where there is a risk of future claims.

Hannah advises domestic and offshore trustees, and protectors on challenges to their administration of trusts.

Advising fiduciaries and beneficiaries on validity, investments, administration and distributions from trusts.

Contentious Court of Protection practice:

Statutory Wills – Hannah has brought and defended claims for statutory Wills, including urgent applications, and claims relating to contentious gifts or inappropriate conduct by attorneys, carers and deputies.

Hannah acts in contested and / or urgent deputyship applications and in disputes regarding the registration of Lasting and Enduring Powers of Attorney (LPA / EPA).

Hannah regularly acts in urgent or contentious applications for orders to sell or transfer property for protected parties.

Hannah advises on the recognition of foreign powers of attorney in England & Wales and other cross border capacity issues.

Other:

Charities – Hannah has acted for charities and in trust disputes, probate disputes and 1975 Act claims involving charities.

Sanctions – Hannah has advised on issues relating to UK and EU sanctions for trustees and trust structures, including issues involving the recent sanctions against Russian individuals/entities.

Hannah is a member of the firm’s vineyards & wineries group and works closely with colleagues in other departments to provide comprehensive sector-focused advice.

Hannah advises in connection with professional negligence claims against private client solicitors and other private client professionals.

Hannah has been involved in stress testing potentially contentious trusts or Wills alongside the non-contentious private client team.

She assists the family department with pre-nuptial agreements and issues arising on separation where trust issues arise.

Professional Memberships

Hannah is a member of Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS), Contentious Trusts Association (ConTrA) and STEP.