Chancery, probate, and tax in Regional Bar

Chancery, Probate, And Tax

Leading Silks

Lesley Anderson QC - Kings Chambers ‘She is a fierce and tenacious advocate and outstanding on her feet. Instructing solicitors and clients can be confident that Lesley will do an excellent job and she is the barrister that you want on your side and not against you.’

David Berkley QC - St John's Buildings 'An absolute master, in cross-examination and an indescribably approachable silk. Very strong analytical skills and an ability to isolate the legal issues very quickly and efficiently.'

David Casement QC - Kings Chambers ‘David is superb. His intellect is fantastic. He is a really team player and gets on well with lawyers and clients alike. He is very well thought of and respected. There are very few lawyers, solicitors and counsel, that I have come across in the last 20 years that are as capable as David.’

Mark Cawson QC - Exchange Chambers ‘Very detailed in his approach, completely cool and calm at all times and always makes the client assured. Mark always instills confidence in the client and our team when he is involved and he is an utterly excellent advocate. His ability to deal with and understand very complex matters always impresses.’

Paul Chaisty QC - Kings Chambers ‘On the detail, a fantastic and robust advocate and superb in conference. You want him on your side.’

Mark Harper QC - Kings Chambers ‘He is an excellent planner and communicator and leads a team very well - ensuring each member of the team has a clear understanding of what is required and their roles and tasks. He has an ability to distil a case to the essential features and to identify the key points of law quickly, whether in preparation or on his feet. His advocacy style is exceptionally effective.’

David Mohyuddin QC - Exchange Chambers ‘David is an excellent silk and a pleasure to work with.’

2020 Silks

Louis Doyle QC - Kings Chambers ‘He is clear of thought and provides concise advice.’

Andrew Grantham QC - Kings Chambers ‘He has a phenomenal intellect, ability to get to grips with cases quickly and comprehensively, thoroughness, knowledge of case law.’

Leading Juniors

Neil Berragan - Kings Chambers ‘Incisive and detailed; excellent in court and well respected on the circuit; a QC in all but name.’

James Fryer-Spedding - 9 St John Street ‘James is an excellent all rounder. His written work is detailed and well considered but he also has an excellent manner with clients. He relates well to them and can deliver difficult messages in an effective way. He works as a team, prepares papers on time and is also a persuasive advocate. He is my Chancery barrister of choice.’

Andrew Latimer - Kings Chambers ‘Andrew is a meticulous and thorough individual who is always well prepared for conferences and hearings. His preparation for witness cross examination is excellent and his submissions in court are impressive.’

Christopher McNall - 18 St John Street Chambers ‘Excellent on paper and on his feet.’

Richard Price - 9 St John Street ‘Richard has a calming influence and explains complex issues to clients well. He is personable barrister and very strong when advising on contentious trust issues. Richard is also flexible when funding cases(both as counsel and mediator) which allows clients access to justice which otherwise would not be possible.’

Tina Ranales-Cotos - Kings Chambers ‘She is, I am convinced, solar powered - she keeps going and going on drilling down on issues tirelessly and prepares relentlessly. She is thorough in her delivery before the Court and fierce in her approach to her opposite numbers.’

Neil Cadwallader - Exchange Chambers ‘A calm, knowledgeable and able advocate.’

Andrew Clark - 9 St John Street ‘He has technical expertise, ability to think rapidly on his feet, practical advice, rigorous attention to detail.’

Eleanor D’Arcy - Kings Chambers ‘Strongly recommended in the Chancery field.’

Elis Gomer - St John's Buildings ‘Elis is my major go to on all things property (chancery) related, probate and trusts. He is incredibly astute, and always gives robust advice whilst remaining utterly charming throughout. Elis is outstanding on his feet. He has a real passion for advocacy and is driven to succeed by a genuine belief in and commitment to the case and clients he represents.’

Tom Gosling - 23 Essex Street ‘Very approachable and down to earth. He builds rapport with clients easily and is extremely technically capable. He is able to adapt quickly to changes in circumstances and to maintain a cool-head and an assured manner in the face of a crisis.’

Scott Redpath - Exchange Chambers ‘Clear advice, easy to action, pragmatic and straightforward.’

George Rowell - Exchange Chambers ‘George is clear and confident in his advice both verbally and in writing. He knows his stuff!’

Jonathan Smith - 23 Essex Street ‘Jonathan is always well prepared, listens to the client in conference and identifies the main issues of dispute in cases generally. Jonathan has a professional demeanour in Court and his cross examination technique often yields the desired results at trial.’

Eleanor Temple - Kings Chambers ‘Eleanor has the ability to distil even the most complex of matters to their key elements and present those elements in a cogent and powerful manner whether that be in writing or as an advocate.’

Joanna Vicary - 9 St John Street ‘Joanna is methodical and careful as an adviser, incisive as an advocate and knows both HMRC's tactics and the traits of the Tribunal members well.’

Andrew Vinson - Exchange Chambers ‘Attention to detail, ability to breakdown complex issues and discuss with the client in a meaningful way, honest and clear advice.’

Andrew Williams - Exchange Chambers ‘Diligent, personable and tenacious. A very pleasant opponent but a very tough one.’

Oliver Caplan - 18 St John Street Chambers ‘Oliver successfully combines having a good knowledge/skill-set, with a personable approach to both instructing solicitors and clients.’

Simon Charles - St John's Buildings ‘Facts and argument well marshalled, advocacy confident and articulate.’

Sebastian Clegg - Deans Court Chambers ‘Sebastian is very clever and this is demonstrated by the extremely thorough and detailed advices that he gives - ensuring all bases are covered. He will raise issues that I have not considered. As an advocate he is always well prepared and very good at cross examination and summarising the case.’

Fay Collinson - Kings Chambers ‘Fay is excellent at explaining matters clearly to clients and putting them at ease, particularly in a courtroom setting. One of the reasons I repeatedly instruct Fay is that I trust her to give her no-nonsense opinion on a matter and to offer practical advice.’

Wayne Goldstein - 18 St John Street Chambers ‘Particularly strong on trusts and Inheritance Act matters.’

Ben Harding - Kings Chambers ‘Fabulous brain able to distill a lot of information in a short time. Very calm and methodical in court and in conference. Very reassuring.’

Richard Lander - Kings Chambers ‘He is my go-to barrister in Manchester. His advice is thoughtful and useful to clients - both experts and lay people alike.’

Dr Nathan Smith - Kings Chambers ‘His strengths are his attention to detail and being excellent on paper; he is a quality advocate.’

18 St John Street Chambers

18 St John Street Chambers is a 'very good set all-round' with in-depth expertise in the Chancery, probate, and tax fields. Christopher McNall is a specialists in disputes about agricultural tenancies, the taxation of farms and land, and proprietary estoppel and Inheritance Act claims relating to farms. He acted for the successful appellants in their appeal against the refusal by HMRC to allow Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief against a farm on the basis the deceased was no longer a farmer and the dwelling was no longer a farmhouse. Elsewhere, Wayne Goldstein is acting for an inheritance claim totalling approximately £500,000; the claimant, his client, has learning difficulties and is bringing the claim against his mother and sisters for provision out of his late father’s estate. Oliver Caplan has 'an understanding manner with clients supported by tenacious advocacy', and is a go-to junior for trust disputes.

23 Essex Street

23 Essex Street is an experienced set with a number of leading Chancery counsel and has particularly expertise in the area of contentious probate. Known for building 'excellent rapport with clients' and for being 'accessible and easy to work with', Tom Gosling's practice covers contested probate, claims, promissory estoppel, and claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. He successfully secured an award for financial provision with life-changing benefits for the claimant in a claim against the estate of his late adopted mother and the sole beneficiary under her will, a Buddhist temple. Praised for providing opinions that are 'detailed, well researched and provide the client with pragmatic advice', Jonathan Smith was recently instructed in a constructive trust/proprietary estoppel claim between father and son over a property valued at approximately £350,000; he also acted in a claim to set aside a will for want of knowledge and approval with possible claims for forgery and family provision.

Deans Court Chambers

Deans Court Chambers' Sebastian Clegg impresses with 'his thoroughness and grasp of the core issues often in very complicated' Chancery and commercial matters. Clegg's practice includes probate, trust, and Inheritance Act claims. He recently acted in a dispute between father and son concerning the sale of a family farm; the case was significant because of the argument as to whether, and what extent, any proprietary estoppel could impugn the written farm partnership agreement.

St John's Buildings

St John's Buildings is a 'standout set in the North'. Elis Gomer is 'very approachable, has an eye for detail, and is a skilled advocate'; he has particular expertise in contentious probate, trusts, and inheritance disputes, as well as contentious trusts issues within matrimonial finance proceedings, and advising on non-contentious estate administration issues. A recent case of note was a probate dispute involving issues of testamentary capacity, undue influence, and probate fraud. The 'confident and articulate' Simon Charles has developed a practice that focuses on indirect taxation, predominantly instructed by HMRC, as well as probate work for private clients.

Tier 1 firms

Kings Chambers

Kings Chambers is 'an exceptionally strong set in Chancery matters, with a number of excellent barristers over a range of years of call, from junior to QCs'. and 'continues to push forward in the Manchester legal market'. 'It is by far one of the best sets in the country and can keep up with any London set'. One instructing lawyer says the set provides 'a great service and I've always found them cooperative and supportive to the firms of solicitors', while another described its counsel as 'the equivalent of the class of '92'. Members are instructed in claims across the gamut of complex contentious and non-contentious Chancery-related work, probate, trusts and estates, and tax. The set has a strong cadre of senior silks, recently supplemented by the elevation to Queen's Counsel of the 'fast-thinking' Andrew Grantham QC and the 'very approachable' Louis Doyle, as well as strength in depth at the junior end from the 'incisive and detailed' Neil Berragan and 'tireless' Tina Ranales-Cotos through to the 'fabulous brain' that is Ben Harding , the 'highly gifted advocate' Eleanor Temple and Fay Collinson, who is a 'first choice for trusts and probate work'.

Tier 2 firms

9 St John Street

A 'good set', 9 St John Street has 'a strong reputation' in the Chancery, probate, and tax arenas thanks to 'a large number of barristers that have acted on well-known cases' and a selection of 'up-and-coming juniors'. James Fryer-Spedding focuses on traditional business and property work, including inheritance disputes, real property litigation, and partnership dissolution; the 'technically excellent' Andrew Clark is a go-to for a range of contentious Chancery matters; Richard Price has acted in defence of several contentious probate claims of late. In the tax sphere, Joanna Vicary was instructed as sole counsel for HMRC in relation to four joined appeals in respect of the revenue's decisions that a company and its directors had acted in breach of the Money Laundering Regulations.

Exchange Chambers

A 'strong set', Exchange Chambers has a number of specialists available for Chancery and tax disputes, and instructing solicitors praise the training offered by the set which is described as 'first class and highly relevant'. At the senior end, Mark Cawson QC and David Mohyuddin QC are go-to names for a range of Chancery and commercial disputes. In the tax arena, Scott Redpath is instructed in tax disputes and planning involving companies, employment, incentives, national insurance, pensions, share schemes, trusts and estates, residence, domicile, indirect tax, VAT, IPT, and duties; George Rowell has experience of tax disputes involving penalties, avoidance schemes, VAT, inheritance tax, capital gains tax, and employment-related taxes.

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