Julia Beer

Practice Areas

Company & Partnership;

Family Financial Remedy Proceedings;

Professional Negligence;

Real Property;

Trusts, Probate & Estates;

Career

Julia Beer TEP has a traditional Chancery practice specialising in contentious probate, with particular expertise in domicile and cross border estates, fraudulent wills and 1975 Act claims. She is frequently engaged in the removal of personal representatives; contentious issues in the administration of estates and trusts; claims by beneficiaries asserting proprietary claims including estoppel; constructive and resulting trusts.

She is also one of the few Chancery practitioners who is also a member of the FLBA and regularly advises on Financial Remedy claims, with a particular interest in representing companies and third parties in the Family Division.

Julia is known for her “excellent” client handling and being able to deal with clients who are often very emotionally invested in a claim and is known for not only “knowing her stuff but she is able to explain legal points to at clients in their language” .

Her practice also includes constructive trusts and proprietary estoppel, Court of Protection (property and affairs) and professional negligence.

Professional Memberships

STEP Central London;

Chancery Bar Association;

Family Law Bar Association

Work Highlights

Vucicevic and another v Aleksic and others [2017] EWHC 2335 (Ch)

Successfully upholding the validity of a handwritten poorly drafted holographic Will in a £2.7 million Estate; representing the named principal charitable beneficiary the Serbian Orthodox Church. Issues: i) whether the testator intended to benefit the UK registered charity or the Montenegro branch of the Church. Tax considerations arising: ii) whether there was an intention to make an absolute gift or hold on trust and if so for what purpose. Construction arguments considering the use of precatory language and the use of external sources aiding the search for intention notably legal Serbian Opinion on the use of the English word “money”.

Proles v Kohli Deceased [2018] EWHC – Judgment awaited

Seeking to establish as a preliminary issue in a 5 day trial that the Deceased had acquired the UK as his Domicile of Choice at the date of death. Representing the Deceased’s 4 year old child wishing to bring a claim for reasonable financial provision against his Estate under the 1975 Act. Resisting further late argument that the Deceased had (even if established) legally abandoned any Domicile of Choice. £2.5 million international Estate with complex financial and corporate structuring. Opposing factual matrix presented by Indian family and wife on behalf of Estate. Asserting extensive English financial footprint; intention and residence.