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Chancery, Probate, And Tax

Enterprise Chambers
Parklane Plowden

Leading Juniors

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Stephen Fletcher - Dere Street Barristers ‘He is a very approachable and talented barrister with great skills with clients and nothing is ever too much trouble.’
Hugo Groves - Enterprise Chambers ‘A knowledgeable and approachable junior counsel.’
Sarah Harrison - Parklane Plowden ‘Sarah is forthright, extremely knowledgeable and articulate. She is good with clients, is able to get to the heart of the matter quickly and efficiently and inspires confidence. She is excellent in cross examination and maintains her composure under pressure.’
Sean Kelly - Parklane Plowden ‘Excellent collaborator. Doesn't take over a job but provides stable support and steer, especially on complex matters. Great with clients in conference and written advice is clear and concise.’
David Rose - Park Square Barristers ‘Very knowledgeable with broad experience. Good communicator and prompt to return papers. David is an utterly reliable source of accurate and wise analysis and advice.’
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Christopher Buckingham - Enterprise Chambers ‘Christopher has a forensically analytical approach to cases, which enables you to make the right decisions at the earliest stages. He turns work around quickly and is reliable.’
Dominic Crossley - Enterprise Chambers ‘Dominic's technical knowledge, particularly in relation to land law and trusts, is second to none. He will often go the extra mile to help the client's case.’
Elizabeth Darlington - Parklane Plowden ‘Beth is an extremely knowledgeable, capable and assured advocate. She is always calm in a crisis and able to think on her feet. She is personable and can relate well to clients. Her advice is clear and concise. I rate her very highly.’
Simon Goldberg - Trinity Chambers ‘Simon quickly identifies the issues of relevance in a matter and ensures that is where the focus remains. He is very personable. He is formidable in court. He knows his stuff!’
Margaret Griffin - Enterprise Chambers ‘Very diligent, perceptive, thorough and robust. Someone in whom you immediately have confidence, whether in conference or in court.’
Duncan Heath - Enterprise Chambers ‘Duncan is a superb all-rounder. He builds a trusting rapport with lay clients very easily, whilst at the same time pulling no punches in his negotiations. He has a first rate legal-mind, as demonstrated by both his shrewd advice and formidable advocacy.’
Stephanie Jarron - Enterprise Chambers ‘Excellent with clients, particularly dealing with sensitive issues. Cuts to the chase in terms of her advice and gives clear and practical guidance to clients and solicitors.’
Marisa Lloyd - Parklane Plowden ‘She has a superb ability to see the real issues in a case and deliver clear advice to even the most challenging clients. Even more impressively, her advocacy and cross examination skills are first rate.’
Anna Metcalfe - Parklane Plowden ‘Anna is quick to get to the bottom of the key issues and always advises based upon the overriding objective of proportionality as well as merits. Supportive of her instructing solicitor and guides clients in cooperation as to the best next steps in their case.’
Nicola Phillipson - Parklane Plowden ‘Nicola is a pro-active problem solver. She is engaging and great with clients. Nicola is a hands-on lawyer who quickly gets to the heart of the problem and offers insightful advice coupled with practical solutions. Nicola is a well respected and a go-to barrister in this area.’
Stuart Roberts - Parklane Plowden ‘Personable, practical and confident.’
Jonathan Rodger - Trinity Chambers ‘Jonathan will provide the client with the best advice even when it is not something they want to hear. He is good at being able to manage the clients expectations and see them get the best outcome. He is very tenacious but authoritative and this seems to work well with all of our clients.’
Bruce Walker - Enterprise Chambers ‘A very clever barrister with good analytical skills and very good to work with.’

Chancery, probate, and tax in Regional Bar

Dere Street Barristers

Dere Street Barristers' Stephen Fletcher is a Chancery, commercial, and property law practitioner who is seen as an 'experienced and formidable litigator'. 'I have never yet been let down by Stephen,' said one instructing solicitor. His practice includes shareholders' disputes, director’s duties, appointment and removal of directors, and unfair prejudice petitions, as well as wills, probate, and Inheritance Act claims.

Park Square Barristers Ltd.

Park Square Barristers' David Rose is a senior junior 'but of a silk quality', according to instructing solicitors. He is experienced in probate and inheritance matters, including those with an international dimension. He has particular expertise in contentious probate, such as challenges to wills upon the grounds of lack of testamentary capacity and undue influence. He is commended for 'excellent personable skills and always manages to build a good rapport with clients especially during meditations'. His experience is 'invaluable when dealing with complex and challenging cases and he is an excellent negotiator when it comes to achieving the right outcome for clients'.

Trinity Chambers

Trinity Chambers has 'a deserved, strong reputation' with members are instructed across the gamut of Chancery matters. A 'tenacious and authoritative' advocate, Jonathan Rodger's practice covers commercial and traditional Chancery, real property, landlord and tenant and insolvency; contentious probate and Inheritance Act claims is a core practice area. Described as 'formidable in court', the head of chambers’ Business and Property team Simon Goldberg regularly appears in the Chancery division of the High Court and has experience of contentious probate and Inheritance Act claims. Recent instructions include representing the claimants in a farming partnership dispute concerning a portfolio of farms and buildings valued in excess of £2m.

Enterprise Chambers

With 'a good crop of juniors', Enterprise Chambers offers 'a very good service and an array of counsel to assist with Chancery matters'. Instructed by leading law firms, members are experienced in the traditional fields of trusts and probate and Inheritance Act claims, as well as specialist areas like insolvency, real property, and company law, which benefit from their Chancery expertise. Among the team, the 'knowledgeable' Hugo Groves is a leading junior in this sector and has recently been involved claims arising out of tax avoidance/mitigation schemes. 'Always in-demand for a reason', Duncan Heath is a 'go-to junior'for contentious trusts and probate, and property matters, and Stephanie Jarron has 'an excellent reputation' in estate disputes. Christopher Buckingham appeared unled for the successful appellant in Lomax v Lomax in the Court of Appeal and is considered 'without a shadow of doubt amongst the best of the best. You want him on your side'.

Parklane Plowden

Parklane Plowden is 'an excellent set with a number of good, specialist counsel'. Chambers is also seen as 'approachable, helpful, and never fail to address and deal with issues in a timely, efficient, and friendly manner; service has always been second to none'. Members are instructed across the full spectrum of Chancery, probate, and tax-related work, including contentious wills and trusts, as well as non-contentious estate work. In recent instructions of note, Sarah Harrison acted in an Inheritance Act claim against estate worth £2.4m with complex taxation and foreign property issues as well as a separate claim by a spouse against an estate of more than £6m which included issues relating to shari'ah law. Solicitors are full of praise for the 'knowledgeable and pragmatic' Nicola Phillipson for her 'approachability' and 'clients like and trust that she sits as a Deputy District Judge'. Phillipson has strengthened the junior rankings after joining from the now-closed Zenith Chambers.