Elizabeth Sainsbury > Farrer & Co > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Farrer & Co Offices

66 LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS
LONDON
WC2A 3LH
England
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Elizabeth Sainsbury

Work Department
Disputes
Position
Elizabeth advises on a wide range of commercial, trust and private wealth disputes, acting for individuals, schools and higher education institutions, and businesses. She has a particular interest in advising individuals and families in contentious trust and estate matters and Inheritance Act claims. Elizabeth was recently involved in the Supreme Court case HMRC v Forde & McHugh ([2014] UKSC 14). This case concerned the treatment of NICs in respect of an employer company’s contributions to a Funded Unapproved Retirement Benefits Scheme (FURBS).
Career
Elizabeth trained at Farrer & Co and qualified as a solicitor in the Disputes Team in September 2012.
Education
Hatfield College, University of Durham (BA Hons, History); Guildford College of Law (Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course)
Lawyer Rankings
London > Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
(Next Generation Partners)Farrer & Co ‘combines boutique firm client service, with city law quality’. The ‘heavyweight’ team is ‘at the top of its game’ and is ably co-led by Toby Graham and Jeremy Gordon
. The department is best known for its work on complex and high-value disputes with an international dimension, which often set legal precedents. It is regularly involved in many of the largest trust and estates disputes, frequently involving values of several billion pounds. The firm’s stable of domestic and international ultra-high-net-worth clients also includes trust companies and fiduciaries. Joanna Poole advises trustees and beneficiaries on the full range of onshore and offshore contentious matters. Charlotte Fraser specialises in international trusts, probate, and succession disputes. Henrietta Mason is another leading member of the group, along with Elizabeth Sainsbury. Tom McPhail also garners praise for his work in this space. Joseph de Lacey left the firm in December 2023 and is now at Fieldfisher.
Lawyer Rankings
- Contentious trusts and probate London > Private client
- Next Generation Partners London > Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Private client > Agriculture and estates
- Private client > Art and cultural property
- Private client > Charities and not-for-profit
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: mid-market
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
- Public sector > Education: schools
- Private client > Family
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Theatre, publishing and other media
- Corporate and commercial > Partnership
- Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate
- Real estate > Residential property
- Employment > Senior executives
Firm Rankings
- Public sector > Education: institutions
- Employment > Employers
- Employment > Immigration: personal
- Corporate and commercial > M&A: Smaller Deals, £10m-£100m
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Reputation management
- Investment fund formation and management > Retail funds
- Real estate > Commercial property: development
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil
- Employment > Immigration
- Employment > Immigration: human rights
- Real estate > Property litigation
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Sport
- Corporate and commercial > Commercial contracts
- Real estate > Commercial property: investment
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: trade marks, copyright and design
- Real estate > Planning
- Real estate > Construction: non-contentious
- Risk advisory > Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity
- Real estate > Property finance
- Corporate and commercial > Financial services: non-contentious/regulatory
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration