The Legal 500 > United Kingdom - The Bar > Regional Bar > Chancery, probate, and tax

Cheryl Jones at 3PB remains active in Chancery work, with a particular focus on wills, trusts, and probate matters, with recent instructions concerning the removal of executors, and contested letters of administration, as well as time-sensitive matters such as urgent freezing injunctions against estate administrators.

KBG Chambers' Andrew Willetts is praised by instructing solicitors and clients for his 'intellectual gravitas, excellent client-facing skills, and considered approach'. Willetts specialises in wills trusts and probate cases, with a particularly strong track record advising trustees and executors.

St John's Chambers houses one of the premier Chancery teams on the western circuit, with a collection of 'expert, approachable, and down to earth' barristers who 'offer London expertise at regional rates'. At the top end of the team, Leslie Blohm QC is involved in some of the most complex and high-value trusts and probate matters in the region, such as Sofer v Swiss Independent Trustees Ltd., in which he led Alex Troup on behalf of a beneficiary in a £9m claim for breach of trust. Other notable members of the team include Charles Auld, whose recent work has included contentious probate and charitable trusts, and Natasha Dzameh, who is recommended for multi-claim and multi-party estates matters. At the junior end, Joss Knight is emerging as one to watch in this space, with a strong track record in matters concerning the removal of executors.

Guildhall Chambers is home to several strong Chancery practitioners with experience in 1975 Inheritance Act claims, trust disputes, and actions against administrators. Hugh Sims QC is a strong presence at the senior end, with recent work including Promontoria (Oak) Limited v Emanuel & Emanuel, which dealt with the validity of a redacted deed of assignment as secondary evidence when the primary document still existed but was not entered. Other notable figures within the team include Ewan Paton , Matthew Wales , Oliver Mitchell, Michael Selway, and Malcolm Warner, whose recent work includes two connected Inheritance Act claims wherein a claimant obtained a judgment in her favour but died before an order was made, resulting in a subsequent claim by the original claimant's son.

College Chambers is home to a strong Chancery team which deals with a variety of matters, but is particularly strong on probate, wills, and administration matters. Carol Davies is particularly experienced in such matters, with recent work dealing with the validity of wills, the severing of joint tenancies shortly before death, and multi-jurisdictional matters. Tahina Akther is also recommended, for both contentious and advisory work, and recently advised on a £9m estate with substantial transatlantic assets and the involvement of American trust structures. Derek Marshall offers a different angle to the team, with a substantial practice as both a mediator and arbitrator.

Pump Court Chambers houses Amy Berry, a Chancery specialist with particular experience in relation to protected parties who are the beneficiaries of estates and trusts. Mark Dubbery and Julian Reed are also worthy of note for Chancery instructions.