The Legal 500

Allen & Overy LLP enjoys a first-class reputation in high-value trust, asset tracing and fraud work; it is ‘unusual among City firms for having a contentious trusts and probate practice’, and ‘stands out for the quality of its work’. Robert Hunter’s ‘enviable’ reputation ‘precedes him by some distance’, and he is ‘unswerving in his determination to get the best possible result for his clients’. Mona Vaswani demonstrates ‘both tenacity and a real determination to fight her clients’ corner in litigation’, and ‘her integrity is widely recognised among fellow fraud practitioners’. The group recently advised a family member in her capacity as a beneficiary of the £200m estate of her late husband.

Baker & McKenzie LLP’s ‘excellent’ team ‘always provides well-thought-out opinions’, and is ‘incredibly well connected both in the UK and internationally, which is invaluable in the multi-jurisdictional arena’. Andrew Keltie is ‘user friendly and low key’, and Anthony Poulton is ‘helpful, bright, motivated’; ‘clients love him’. Recent highlights include acting for the trustee of the Merchant Navy Officers Pension Fund.

Herbert Smith LLP offers a ‘boutique-nature practice’ led by ‘excellent lawyer’ Rupert Ticehurst (a ‘good tactician on difficult cases’). Consultant John Wood’s ‘intellect, reputation and service standards have meant that for many years the group has punched above its weight, and been involved in most of the big cases of recent years’.

Withers LLP’s ‘excellent’ practice is led by Dawn Goodman, who is ‘almost legendary in this area’. Paul Hewitt is ‘a skilful and tactical litigator and is entirely realistic with his clients as to their prospects of success’. Sue Medder is ‘pragmatic and will fight cases worth fighting with nerve and judgement’. Ziva Robertson recently joined the team from Mourant du Feu & Jeune, adding Cayman capabilities. She ‘fights her clients’ corner with zeal tempered with realism’. Graeme Kleiner recently left to head Speechly Bircham LLP’s practice.

Boodle Hatfield’s practice is part of the firm’s well-known private client group, and includes ‘fantastic and impressive’ practice head Simon Rylatt and Richard Moyse. Sofie Hoffman is ‘undoubtedly the star of the firm and has already established a reputation as a leading trust litigation practitioner, and also has fraud litigation and asset tracing experience’. Recent highlights include assisting a new client in a dispute over a £100m estate.

Macfarlanes LLP’s practice head Charles Lloyd ‘is an excellent strategic worker’, whose cases ‘tend to be high value and complex’. ‘What sets them apart is their first-class private client department’. The group has recently been involved in complex, multi-jurisdictional cases. Willie Manners is recommended, and the team includes a number of ‘very dedicated assistants’.

Graeme Kleiner joined Speechly Bircham LLP to head its practice in this area. He enjoys a good reputation, as a ‘a highly efficient litigator’. The group is noted as ‘maintaining constructive working relationships with opposing parties, even in highly contentious matters’, and offering ‘speed, cost effectiveness and depth of knowledge’. Highlights include acting for Sheikh Abdullah Alhamrani in the long-running Alhamrani v Alhamrani case. Henrietta Nurney left the firm in 2008.

Simon Weil heads Bircham Dyson Bell LLP’s practice, which handles trustee and offshore litigation, and complex family disputes. John Darton recently assisted the surviving spouse in an Inheritance Act Claim.

Clifford Chance is ‘highly rated for large-scale litigation’, with Jeremy Kosky noted as a ‘leader in the field’. The group has been involved in some of the highest-profile trust litigation cases in the market. Roger Leese recently achieved a favourable settlement for the Monsen family in 2008, bringing to an end one of longest-running contentious trust cases of recent times.

Farrer & Co ‘lives up to its well-deserved reputation as a top-drawer, blue-blood firm for private client work’. Toby Graham is ‘a tenacious and technically gifted practitioner’, and ‘does a great job of bridging the gap between contentious and non-contentious approaches’. James Price is ‘a disarmingly tough litigator’, and Jeremy Gordon is ‘outstanding, versatile, unflappable and unfailingly courteous’. The group acted for Russa Management Limited in the Alhamrani v Russa Management Limited and others.

Damon Parker leads Harcus Sinclair’s contentious trusts team, which includes the ‘unique’ and ‘very clever’ Alison Meek, and the ‘bright’ Lucy Gibson. The group has recently handled Court of Protection work, and high-value international trust litigation. Highlights include acting for offshore trustees in a dispute between Italian beneficiaries. Keith Bruce-Smith is recommended.

LG’s practice head, Catharine Bell, enjoys an excellent reputation in the market and regularly assists with high-value offshore disputes; she is ‘outstanding in her work, helpful, pragmatic and extremely helpful’. Andrew Witts has assisted the Government of Brazil in relation to the alleged corruption of Paulo Maluf, former mayor of Sao Paulo.

Mishcon de Reya’s practice has a ‘high reputation among practitioners’ and is led by Tony Morton-Hooper. The team includes Mark Keenan, who ‘has a practical outlook and is able to step back and see the bigger picture’, and Henry Frydenson, who demonstrates ‘great experience’ and ‘a positive attitude’. The team assisted Dr Christine Gill in the widely reported case Gill v RSPCA.

Taylor Wessing LLP assists individuals and blue-chip trust companies, and is experienced at handling large, complex, often cross-border disputes. Recent highlights include acting for beneficiaries of a trust holding properties worth £25m. The ‘hungry and talented’ group is led by the ‘excellent’ Steven Kempster.

Bill Perry heads Charles Russell LLP’s contentious trusts practice, which includes highly rated practitioners David Long and Morven McMillan. Recent highlights include acting for the executors of a disputed will drafted by the deceased without legal advice in a multimillion-pound estate.

Forsters LLP has a ‘solid and reliable’ contentious trusts practice which ‘effectively combines legal expertise with strong commercial sense’. Lead partner Caroline Bassett is singled out for her ‘steadfast pursuit of clients’ interests’, and Emily Exton is recommended for ‘her commercial acumen and ability to engage with clients on knotty issues’. Fiona Smith ‘fights for her clients in a calm and measured way’.

Ian Burman is the partner contact at Laytons. The team was recently involved in an inheritance claim involving Indian law aspects.

Antony Dutton is global head of Norton Rose LLP’s dispute resolution practice, which recently assisted a BVI company and individuals based in Geneva in relation to a breach of trust claim and associated freezing order of US$50m. The team regularly assists Middle Eastern and Asian clients.

Payne Hicks Beach regularly assists with family disputes. The group recently secured a multimillion-pound settlement in a family dispute involving offshore trusts. Stephen King is the key partner, and Graham Brown is also recommended.

Alison Regan is the partner contact for contentious trusts and probate matters at Russell-Cooke LLP. Richard Frimston is highly experienced in cross-border disputes.