5 Stone Buildings is one of the ‘best traditional Chancery sets.’ In one major case Penelope Reed QC acted for Alan Graham through his litigation friend in a case whereby the court ordered the rectification of four trusts that had been established in the British Virgin Islands Graham v Lynch.  Tracey Angus QC acted for the Michael Cowan Foundation in Cowan v Foreman,  an Inheritance Act claim over an estate worth over £20m with issues concerning time limit extensions. At the senior end the set was strengthened even further when Sarah Haren QC took silk in 2021.
Private client: trusts and probate in London Bar
5 Stone Buildings
Testimonials
SetÂ
‘This is to my mind is the best set for domestic trusts and probate work. It has great depth of experience and offers fantastic, free seminars for solicitors.’
‘The go to set for trusts disputes.‘
‘Very impressive from top to bottom. It recruits excellent juniors, who are always very well trained. Everyone there is extremely approachable and hardworking.‘
‘The pre-eminent Chancery set.’
‘We rate 5 SB very much, probably one of the top sets, amazing set of barristers and clerks who want to make the transition and working arrangements with the solicitors work properly.‘
ClerkingÂ
‘The clerks are fantastic (Paul Jennings and Dan Coote in particular).’
‘Paul Jennings is an excellent head clerk. He is readily available and is always open to discussion on fees and Counsel to be instructed. He gives good guidance as to where matters should be placed and certainly has built an excellent relationship over the years.‘
‘Excellent – hugely accommodating and very efficient. ‘
‘Responsive. Dan Coote is extremely helpful.’
‘Excellent clerks, will have sensible conversations about costs, easy to work with, down to earth but knowledgeable about the field.‘
‘In my experience they have always been excellent and operate without ‘fuss’. ‘
Serle Court
Serle Court is ‘simply very, very good with a diverse range of excellent practitioners.’ Trust law and offshore contentious trust law has been described as ‘its forte.’ In Peckson Ltd; Ng v Chen Philip Jones QC acted for Ng Man Sun in a high-value  case which centred on the issue of whether a resulting trust arose out of a gratuitous transfer of shares from the owner of the shares to his de facto wife – the case eventually settled in the run-up to planned second hearing by the Privy Council. John Machell QC recently appeared before the Bermuda Court of Appeal in an important three day appeal concerning the Court’s supervisory jurisdiction over trusts and the application of the rules of natural justice - the matter is ongoing.
Testimonials
SetÂ
‘Serle Court remains one of the top chambers in this area with good availability.’
‘Serle Court is an excellent set, particularly good for contentious trust and offshore work. A varied spectrum of skilled practitioners.’
‘Serle Court as a whole has an excellent profile in offshore work.’
‘The leading chambers for the big offshore trusts disputes.’
‘Still my go to set for commercial chancery work. It has a great bench of barristers at all levels.’
‘The set as a whole has a high profile in private client and trust work and has able individuals at all levels.’
Clerking
‘The clerks have always been responsive and friendly.’
‘Top notch. A pleasure to work with.’
‘The clerks are good, in particular Steven Whitaker and Nick Hockney are always very helpful.’
‘I have always found the clerking services responsive and provide a professional and helpful approach to all queries.’
‘Excellent service – I have always found Serle Court’s clerks to be accessible, commercial and easy to work with.’
‘All very able and efficient in my experience. Paul Ballard has been particularly good.’
Wilberforce Chambers
Wilberforce Chambers ‘obviously is one of the top sets for offshore trusts’ and is a ‘set that excels in this field.’ The ‘highly intelligent’ Brian Green QC is acting for the defendant (a major bank) in £450m Hong Kong proceedings concerning the alleged breach of trust and other consequential issues. In another major case Gilead Cooper QC (an ‘intellectual giant’) is acting for Paul Nicholls (guardian of the infants) in Kea v Watson & Ors, a long-running dispute between two New Zealanders before the Jersey courts, concerning the validity of an interim arrêt (a form of seizure) of interests in three trusts to enforce payment of UK judgments.
Testimonials
SetÂ
‘This is a pre-eminent set with some legendary members in this world.’
‘The Chambers is made up of great talent and there is always help at a high level when needed. ‘
‘Fantastic set with quality throughout.’
‘Excellent, top of the market, with a price tag to match, but worth every penny!‘
‘Wilberforce is undoubtedly the top set in the trusts and probate world. Its strength in depth is second to none.’
‘The set as a whole has an extremely strong profile in the area with some really stellar performers. ‘
ClerkingÂ
‘The clerking at Wilberforce is exceptional and exemplary. All of the clerks are so efficient and brilliant at what they do. Fraser Geddes deserves specific praise – he really understands what solicitors need and works tirelessly to help make cases run smoothly. The up and coming Harvey Scott looks set to follow in his footsteps.’
‘Excellent clerking. We love Stewart Cameron.‘
‘Always available and helpful with great knowledge of the members’ abilities.’
‘Excellent service, friendly and approachable. Mark Rushton stands out.’
‘First-rate.’
‘I have always found them hugely personable and straightforward to deal with.’
XXIV Old Buildings
XXIV Old Buildings is a 'go to set for tricky trust problems and is also very good for contentious and non-contentious private client, trusts and estates work.' Stephen Moverley Smith QC successfully acted for the defendant in a case that involved a consideration of the circumstances in which the blessing of a court to a decision by the trustees could be set aside (Twin Benefits Ltd v Barker). The set has a number of 'excellent' practitioners among them Elspeth Talbot Rice QC who has an ‘encyclopaedic knowledge of onshore and offshore trust law’ and the ‘fiercely bright’ Edward Cumming QC. The ‘very knowledgeable and tenacious’ Heather Murphy has been added to the rankings at the junior end. In the rising star category Timothy Sherwin remains ‘a highly effective junior, and an excellent advocate on his own feet.’ The set is 'full of very clever people who manage to avoid being grand about it.'
Testimonials
Set
‘The set is fantastic. All the barristers we have worked with are highly intelligent and provide practical, commercial and detailed advice and are very easy to work with. ‘
‘A good set for Chancery work particularly onshore and offshore trust and probate work. A number of heavy hitting leading counsel and very bright and knowledgeable juniors.’
‘XXIV has for many years been one of the premier sets with a focus on the offshore market. It has the sort of strength and depth that one would expect in this area.‘
‘XXIV is an extraordinary set. The members work well as a team offering good QC and junior combinations thus providing the client with real value.’
‘XXIV Old Buildings is an exceptional set with a group of excellent barristers.’
ClerkingÂ
‘The clerks are professional and easy to deal with.‘
‘The clerks are a pleasure to deal with, very response and organised.’
‘Paul Horsfield in particular is extremely user friendly and conscientious.’
‘The clerks room is very responsive, in particular James Ladbrook. James will respond quickly to the requests that we make and will do all he can to accommodate requests.‘
‘James Ladbrook has wonderful client service skills. He’s keen to build relationships with solicitors and works hand in hand with his barristers to ensure everything runs smoothly.’
‘Paul Horsfeld and Perry Brown are a pleasure to deal with. Very responsive clerks’ room.’
New Square Chambers
At New Square Chambers Alexander Learmonth QC took silk in 2021. In Moaven v Texeira, he made a successful application to have his client’s brother-in-law removed as trustee of her late husband’s will trust, and an order for costs. In another substantive matter, Mark Hubbard is acting as sole English counsel for the claimant in a dispute between brothers about the ownership and control of a Manx company which holds a substantial property portfolio.
Testimonials
Set
‘Strong reputation in the trust & probate dispute resolution field.‘
‘The set is well renowned and justly so for its expertise in Chancery matters. I find the clerks helpful and Counsel approachable, hardworking and knowledgeable.’
‘High quality set of experts and have never had an issue with availability of counsel.’
‘I am grateful that the Barristers I am working with are always available to deal with my matters in a very satisfactory way.’
‘New Square Chambers has fantastic collection of experienced private client practitioners. The Chambers has done a lot this year to move its training/CPD seminars online. This has been invaluable to me.’
Clerking
‘Welcoming and helpful to our clients at conferences. They have a commercial sense when it comes to fees, always realistic and approachable keeping in mind client budget and expectations. When time was tight for an urgent injunction, the clerks at New Square Chambers joined in the effort to get the case ready for court on time. Michelle Greene understands how to help solicitors best serve their clients, and Nathan Hitchman is insightful, helpful and pragmatic.’
‘Clerks have always been very helpful – Michelle Greene in particular was very responsive.’
‘Phil Reeves is the Senior Clerk and is very helpful, responsive and eminently commercial. They are lucky to have him.’
‘I think the clerking team is well run and that is thanks to the expert leadership given in Phil Reeves. I also think that the role played by John Campbell can’t be underestimated. He has done a fantastic job in promoting the services that are offered by New Square.‘
Radcliffe Chambers
Radcliffe Chambers has’ strength in depth across all levels of experience in the contentious trust sector.’ In a high-profile matter Robert Pearce QC was instructed by the trustee of The National Fund, a charity set up by an anonymous donor in 1928 aiming to repay the national debt in full in the virtually impossible event it becomes able to do so, in Attorney General v Zedra Fiduciary Services (UK) Ltd : the Attorney General has applied to the court for the funds to be released to the National Debt Commissioners and the trustee argues that the fund should be applied for charitable purposes, and donor's heirs argue that the trust was invalid.
Testimonials
Set
‘All the counsel that I have used from the set have always been excellent, and I regard this as one of the best sets of chambers for Trust and Probate disputes. Availability of counsel is good. Its training programme is good.‘
‘Radcliffe Chambers is a market-leading set with a long-standing reputation for outstanding service. ‘
‘Excellent chambers, friendly, efficient, approachable and professional. Whilst counsel are busy, they will always try to accommodate our needs, and will help identify counsel suitable for the case. The Chambers run excellent training programmes and its YouTube channel is particularly useful, meaning you can view the programmes out of hours. ‘
‘Radcliffe Chambers is my go-to set for Contentious Probate mattes. Its counsel are down to earth, approachable and compassionate. There is always someone available to help, and everyone goes to extra mile to do so. ‘#
‘Radcliffe Chambers is a very strong set, with a number of leading contentious trust and probate litigators. They all share an innate ability to work collaboratively with instructing solicitors to get the best results for the client. It has excellent counsel at all levels and regularly offers first rate training and seminars.‘
Clerking
‘I have always found the service and clerks to be excellent too, and they were recently particularly helpful when we had a last minute instructions on a matter with an imminent court hearing.‘
‘Always willing to go above and beyond and sensible in fee negotiations. I would highly recommend Justin Allen and John Clark .’
‘The clerks are very responsive, friendly and helpful.’
‘Well staffed clerks room with helpful clerks.‘
‘John Clark is our main contact and he is very efficient and reassuring.’
Ten Old Square
The ‘vastly wise and experienced’ Francis Barlow QC at Ten Old Square is advising on four concurrent applications under the Variation of Trusts Act 1958 for the variation of a number of settlements worth over a billion pounds. In another key matter the ‘very knowledgeable and user-friendly’ Simon Taube QC was instructed by Taylor Wessing in the Dawson-Damer v Taylor Wessing case, which went to the Court of Appeal on a point concerning subject access requests for data which under common law is covered by trustees’ duties of confidentiality. Also at silk level Eason Rajah QC is an ‘extremely polished advocate.’
Testimonials
SetÂ
‘Excellent chambers, with real strength-in-depth. Availability of counsel at all levels. Those seminars I have attended have always been both informative and enjoyable. ‘
‘Great strength in CT&P at all levels.’
‘Excellent chambers.’
‘Ten Old Square is a hidden gem in the trusts field.’
’10 Old Square has excellent depth particularly with its juniors. If somebody is unavailable, it is always quick to provide suitable cover. You can be confident that whoever is available will be easy to deal with and do an excellent job.‘
Clerking
‘Keith Plowman and Marc Schofield give a superb service, and are always extremely pleasant to deal with.’
‘Strong and commercial, pragmatic.’
‘The clerks are exceptional. I enjoy working with them.‘
‘Clerks are top notch, especially Marc Schofield who responds quickly, is easy to deal with and really makes an effort to assist however he can.‘
‘Clerks room is exceptional.’
Maitland Chambers
Maitland Chambers is an ‘excellent’ set, members of which are regularly involved in a broad array of trust and estate cases especially those with a tax, company or civil fraud component. It has a number of skilled practitioners who frequently appear in the courts of a number of offshore jurisdictions. At a senior level Christopher McCall and Catherine Newman QC are highly accomplished and at the junior end the 'incredibly committed' Thomas Fletcher ascended the junior rankings.
Testimonials
SetÂ
‘Maitland Chambers is extremely capable and is my ‘go to’ for assistance.’
‘Efficient and knowledgeable.’
Clerking
‘Perfectly effective and responsive.’