Ryan Mowat > Kingsley Napley LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Kingsley Napley LLP ‘has a hugely experienced Court of Protection team, which complements its contentious trusts and probate team admirably’. The team, which is led by Simon Hardy primarily focuses on property and affairs matters. Its expertise also now covers health and welfare matters, including decisions regarding care arrangements, personal welfare deputyships and public funding for care. It has a caseload of over 120 regular deputyships and trusteeships. The majority of its clients lack capacity due to a catastrophic brain injury. It has also expanded into the elderly client market through Anita Gill’s role as a court of protection approved panel deputy. The team excels in contentious Court of Protection work too, particularly where there are cases involving serious allegations of fraud and financial abuse. Ryan Mowat is adept at handling these cases. Senior associate Jemma Garside is well regarded.

‘One of the best mid-market commercial litigation firms in London‘, Kingsley Napley LLP routinely represents foreign governments, professional football clubs, casino operators, listed companies, banks and corporations, as well as offshore trustees and HNW individuals; and the team is increasingly active in cases arising out of large-scale investigations. Commercial litigation specialist Richard Foss leads the dispute resolution department, which features Ryan Mowat, an expert in contentious trusts and estates; the ‘much-in-demand lawyer‘ William Christopher; Sue Thackeray, whose cases often incorporate privacy, data protection and hacking issues; and Fiona Simpson, whose instructions frequently involve offshore jurisdictions, Switzerland and CIS countries. Also integral to the practice, Mary Young acts in claims against professionals, while insolvency litigator Michael Mulligan is ‘a dogged advocate for his clients‘. In March 2023, Melanie Hart, who maintains a broad disputes practice, joined from Ince Gordon Dadds, while Laurence Clarke is ‘a standout senior associate‘.

‘The team at Kingsley Napley LLP is extremely strong, full of focus and drive and committed to delivering a first-rate client service. They are led by the absolutely brilliant Ryan Mowat’. The group is recommended for its skill at handling high-net-worth private client litigation matters, combined with the firm’s expertise in fraud and media-related disputes. In addition, it is sought after for its experience in high value ‘trusts and divorce’ cases and works closely with its family team and its court of protection practice. Many of the trust disputes involve multiple jurisdictions, and allegations of breach of trust and fraud; its contentious estate disputes practice is thriving. It is ‘truly exceptional from top to bottom’ with some very able associates, including Katherine Pymont; Kate Salter and Anna Metadjer. Laura Phillips is now a legal director.

‘Intelligent, analytical, robust and dedicated‘, Kingsley Napley LLP stands out among clients for its ‘old-school rigour combined with a thoroughly modern emphasis on client care‘. Practice head Ryan Mowat is highly experienced in private wealth disputes concerning trusts and estates, often handling matters with a cross-jurisidictional aspect. Other names to note include Richard Foss, who heads up the wider disputes team; Mary Young, praised for her ‘endlessly imaginative‘ practice; and Jemma Brimblecombe – ‘a tough, forensic litigator with a no-nonsense approach.’