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UK Bar Guide 2023

Ranked in 4 Practice Areas
1
Chancery: Traditional
17 Years Ranked
1
Offshore
11 Years Ranked
1
Trusts
9 Years Ranked
Ranked in Guides

About

Provided by Richard Wilson KC

UK Bar

Practice Areas

Richard Wilson KC has a practice encompassing litigation, drafting and advisory work across a wide range of traditional and commercial chancery, with a strong emphasis on trusts and probate (both contentious and non-contentious), related company and partnership law, claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, tax, professional negligence, and civil fraud. He is ranked by Chambers & Partners as a leading silk in the fields of trusts, offshore, and traditional chancery work. Chambers UK describes him as a "Very commercial, practical and responsive." "He's just fantastically user-friendly - always at the end of the phone if you need him. He's also so good strategically."

Richard has been involved in many of the most significant and high-value cases in those areas in recent years, including: Futter v. Futter [2013] UKSC 26 (the leading case on the Rule in Re Hastings-Bass); Gany v Khan [2018] UKPC 21 (claim to establish ownership of companies by BVI trust and setting aside appointment by trustees); and the Dawson-Damer litigation (high-value breach of trust claim in The Bahamas with related litigation in England and Bermuda). He is currently acting for one of the parties in the Wong v Grand View litigation in both the trial in Bermuda of one of the actions and the appeal to the Privy Council in another.

Chambers and Partners High Net Worth says about Richard: “….[he] knows everything there is to know in this field of law, he's really one of the best," and is "absolutely fantastic," according to a source, who adds that he is "very down-to-earth and easy to get along with."

His work frequently involves offshore matters and issues of private international law. He has appeared in the Privy Council, the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal of Gibraltar, the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal of Bermuda, the Supreme Court of The Bahamas, the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands and the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. He has also given expert evidence of English Law in the Royal Courts of Jersey and Guernsey. He frequently acts in cases in all of the principal offshore jurisdictions including those mentioned above and in an increasing number of cases in Hong Kong.

Career

Called to the Bar 1996. King's Counsel 2016.

Professional Memberships

Chancery Bar Association, ACTAPS, STEP, Professional Negligence Bar Association.

Publications

In 2020 Richard was invited by Solicitors Journal to consider the changes to private client and trusts law over the past 20 years. His article ‘A whole new world’ was published on 24 June 2020.

What to consider when looking at assisted suicide, FT Advisor, April 2019.

Relief from flawed decisions, Trusts and Estates Law & Tax Journal, November 2018, together with Alan Boyle KC and Zahler Bryan (Serle Court).

Richard writes extensively on subjects within his fields of expertise. He has had numerous articles published in journals such as Private Client Business, The Trusts and Estates Law and Tax Journal and Elderly Client Adviser. He is the co-author of ‘The Trustee Act 2000: a Practical Guide' (Jordans, 2001) and is currently co-writing the ‘Trust Litigation Handbook' which is due to be published by Jordans.

Richard is a former editor of the Trusts Quarterly Review, and is currently a member of the editorial boards of the Wills and Trusts Law Reports. He is also currently contributing to the latest edition of ‘Contentious Probate Claims’ (Thompson Reuters) and is the Consultant Editor of the ‘Trusts and Settlements’ volume of Halsbury’s Laws of England.

Personal

Richard read Law at the Universities of Sheffield (LLB) and London (LLM).

Awards

Lawyer of the Year

Best Lawyers Awards

2021

Advocate of the Year

STEP Private Client Awards

2019

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

UK Bar

Chancery: Traditional - London (Bar)
1
Band 1

Richard Wilson KC
Richard Wilson KC has a particularly strong advisory practice. He is often instructed in cases concerning real property or landed estates. Wilson is also noted for his handling of offshore trusts and other overseas matters.


Family/Matrimonial: Trusts/Tax Experts - London (Bar)
1
Band 1

Richard Wilson KC
Richard Wilson KC is a trusts expert whose practice frequently overlaps with some of the most complex financial remedy proceedings. He garners market praise both for his expertise in offshore trusts and his ability to adapt to the mannerisms of the family courts. Wilson is adept at handling cases concerning assets located in Hong Kong, the Channel Islands and BVI.


Offshore - London (Bar)
1
Band 1

Richard Wilson KC
Richard Wilson KC enjoys a strong reputation in traditional and commercial chancery litigation, and has particular expertise in trusts, probate and partnership disputes. His practice also encompasses private international law. Although particularly noted for his presence in the Channel Islands, he has also appeared for clients in Gibraltar, the Cayman Islands and the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.


Trusts - London (Bar)
1
Band 1

Richard Wilson KC
Richard Wilson KC handles a large volume of domestic and offshore trusts litigation and has been involved in a number of significant breach of trust disputes. His caseload includes a number of substantial disputes in the Bahamas, Guernsey, Jersey, the Cayman Islands and Gibraltar. He has significant knowledge of private international law issues relating to trusts.

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