Sinclair Gibson LLP > London, England > Firm Profile
Sinclair Gibson LLP Offices
3 LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS
LONDON
WC2A 3AA
England
Sinclair Gibson LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings
Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate Tier 2
Clients of Sinclair Gibson LLP include both high and ultra-high-net-worth international individuals, as well as successive generations of UK-domiciled families. Under the joint leadership of Keith Bruce-Smith
and Lucy Gibson, it is well-placed to handle many complex issues, such as lifetime tax and succession planning. It is also vastly experienced in advising on the establishment and management of onshore, offshore, and charitable trusts. In addition, the team has been busy providing family office services to its clients, as well as probate and estate administration. Another key area of focus is providing UK tax planning advice for non-residents and domiciliaries, which includes providing pre-immigration planning advice. The versatile team also deftly handles the tax efficient restructuring of estates post-death.
Practice head(s):
Keith Bruce-Smith; Lucy Gibson
Testimonials
‘Sinclair Gibson is outstanding. The professional service you receive allows you to feel confident in areas you may not have knowledge in. The level of support is excellent, the knowledge is extensive and you feel a sense of calm and reassurance as a client.’
‘Lucy Gibson is amazing! Putting your trust into someone who initially is unknown to you can be daunting but with Lucy it feels a sense of relief. Lucy Gibson is exceptional!’
‘An outstanding team very much at the cutting edge of complex law with a capacity for driving excellent client strategies and leading other advisers with them to achieve effective solutions’.
‘Courageous advisers prepared to take a view and lead on difficult and complex situations.’
Key clients
Executors of the estate of the late Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath
Executors of the estate of the late Guy Innes-Ker, 10th Duke of Roxburghe
Private client > Contentious trusts and probate Tier 3
Sinclair Gibson LLP has a ‘strong private client litigation team’ which ‘works closely with the private client department’. Henry Hickman leads the offering, which acts for clients ranging from successful professionals and landed estates, to entrepreneurs and ultra-high-net-worth individuals. It is best known for its work on onshore and offshore trust and probate disputes for private clients and professional trustees. It covers a myriad of other complicated matters spanning professional negligence claims to Court of Protection proceedings. Lucy Gibson is another key figure, along with Amy Williams who was promoted to the partnership in July 2023. Practice head(s):
Henry Hickman
Other key lawyers:
Lucy Gibson; Amy Williams; Hannah Southon
Testimonials
‘Really great boutique style firm. Small in number but attracts great work no doubt because of the strength of its expertise in the private wealth space. Frequently see Lucy Gibson and Henry Hickman on a broad range of trust and estate matters.’
‘Henry Hickman and Lucy Gibson are both fantastic litigators. Henry wears his expertise lightly and is always pragmatic but really knows his stuff.’
‘Lucy Gibson is a delight to work with or against on a case. Charming and with the bigger picture in mind. Very good with tricky clients.’
‘The dedication of the partners and the associates is very impressive. Their attention to detail, speed of response and care in dealing with complex and sensitive matters is exemplary.’
‘Amy Williams is very good to work with, practical and efficient. Henry Hickman is very experienced in contentious probate matters and good to work with.’
‘Henry Hickman is one of the best of his vintage. Straight talking, commercial, and excellent on tactics. I do not hesitate to put him forward.’
‘Sinclair Gibson are a superb boutique firm. Their lawyers have excellent judgement and huge expertise in their field, with a great reputation for both offshore trusts work and high-value UK inheritance disputes.’
‘Amy Williams is a brilliant litigator who fights hard for her clients and gets great results. She is also a calm and reassuring presence for clients even in the stormiest litigation.’
Key clients
Executors and Trustees of the estate of the late 7th Marquess of Bath
Work highlights
- Advised the Executors and Trustees of the estate of the late 7th Marquess of Bath on a handful of 1975 Act claims intimated and issued by former female friends of the late Lord Bath.
Private client > Family Tier 4
Sinclair Gibson LLP‘s family department combines the ‘advantages of a specialist boutique firm‘ with ‘the advantage of being part of a larger firm offering useful, cross-over expertise’. Kathryn Peat co-heads the team, and stands out for her ‘experience and judgment‘ practicing across children and finance matters as both a lawyer and arbitrator. Co-head James Copson ‘is the go-to lawyer for complicated cases‘ involving international elements and pensions advice.Practice head(s):
Kathryn Peat; James Copson
Other key lawyers:
Xanthy Papageorgiou; Darren Hark
Testimonials
‘Every person involved at Sinclair Gibson is extremely polite, efficient, prompt and knowledgeable in their individual field.’
‘Kathryn Peate is a consummate and very experienced professional who I would describe as a ‘legal family law rock’ perfect for clients wanting a kind, firm and wise family lawyer.’
‘James Copson is one of the best technical lawyers in the profession. He can turn his hand to any sort of case which comes his way.’
‘Xanthy Papageorgiou is an excellent technical lawyer. Superb on the detail, she identifies issues swiftly and comes up with creative solutions. She is a great team player.’
‘Kathryn Peat is intelligent, tough and has “street smarts”. She is extremely hard-working and has the ability to focus on what is important. She knows when to be forceful and when to be subtle.’
‘The team offer many of the advantages of a specialist boutique firm, in terms of personal client care and availability, with the advantage of being part of a larger firm offering useful, cross-over expertise.’
‘Kathryn Peat stands out for the experience and judgment she brings to all her cases. She listens carefully to her client’s needs before guiding them in the right direction.’
‘James Copson is the go-to lawyer for complicated cases. A world expert on tax and the intricacies of cross-border cases involving finances and children. He has a formidable mind.’
Sinclair Gibson LLP > Firm Profile
The firm: Sinclair Gibson is a specialist firm, based in Lincoln’s Inn Fields in London, focused on the needs of the private client and private client adviser through its three complementary practice areas of private client, litigation and family law.
Sinclair Gibson, which was set up in 2019, represents a return to the core work that the founding partners have always enjoyed and valued and continues to move away from the expansionist business model reliant on compartmentalisation, juniors and precedent-led work increasingly prevalent in the market.
The firm’s model places an emphasis on bespoke advice from experienced, partner-led teams with many of the firm’s practitioners having competence and proficiency across the conventional departmental demarcation, allowing teams for individual matters to span two or more practice areas depending on specific needs.
This ensures that clients benefit from high quality and robust advice, rooted in independent and intelligent thinking as well as extensive experience. This expertise, coupled with individual partners’ personable and pragmatic approach, has resulted in long standing relationships with clients who recognise that Sinclair Gibson is committed to delivering excellent and relevant advice in all aspects of private client law.
Types of work undertaken:
Private client: the private client practice of Sinclair Gibson is led by Keith Bruce-Smith, a partner with over 30 years’ experience. He is one of the authors of two precedent books on trusts and wills and original co-editor of an international law trust compendium. He and Lucy Gibson, widely acclaimed for her international trust and estate law expertise, act for a wide range of UK- and overseas-based individuals and trustees.
Litigation: headed by Henry Hickman, the firm’s vastly experienced and well-regarded litigation practice acts for private clients specialising in acting for private individuals, charities and trust companies in trust litigation, succession and probate disputes and inheritance claims. It also undertakes commercial litigation in the High Court (Commercial Court) and offshore.
Family law: Sinclair Gibson’s family department is led by the highly respected Kathryn Peat and James Copson. The team advises on all aspects of family law but is best known for its work with high net worth clients on complex financial remedy claims and nuptial agreements, often with an international element, and both domestic and international private children matters. Further areas of expertise include disputes involving unmarried couples and the preparation of cohabitation agreements. A significant proportion of the department’s clients are neither UK resident nor UK domiciled and they benefit from the wealth of experience the team has in international family law matters, including offshore trusts, overseas assets and international relocation of children, as well as access to the firm’s renowned Private Client team.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private client, tax and trusts | Keith Bruce-Smith | [email protected] | 0207 539 4710 |
| Private client, tax and trusts | Lucy Gibson | [email protected] | 0207 539 4712 |
| Litigation | Henry Hickman | [email protected] | 0207 539 4738 |
| Family | Kathryn Peat | [email protected] | 0207 539 4722 |
| Private client, tax and trusts | Eleanor Walsh | [email protected] | 020 7539 4713 |
| Family office service group | Angela White | [email protected] | 020 7539 4709 |
| Litigation | Amy Williams | [email protected] | 020 7539 4732 |
| Private client, tax and trusts | Hazel Power | [email protected] | 020 7539 4749 |
| Private client, tax and trusts | Oliver Bishop | [email protected] | 020 7539 4743 |
Solicitor Profiles
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Oliver Bishop | Senior Associate, Private Client Oliver joined the firm in 2015 and qualified… | View Profile |
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Keith Bruce-Smith | Keith, who is ranked in the Legal 500 ‘Hall of Fame’, is… | View Profile |
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Roger Cobden-Ramsay | Roger is a senior divorce solicitor. With over 30 years of experience… | View Profile |
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Emily Cook | Associate Emily completed her training contract at the firm and qualified into… | View Profile |
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Lucy Gibson | Lucy Gibson is a private client trust and tax lawyer. She primarily… | View Profile |
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Henry Hickman | Henry’s clients include private clients, privately owned companies, trustees, family offices and… | View Profile |
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Charlie Kassell | Associate Charlie completed his training contract at the firm and qualified into… | View Profile |
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Celia McLuskie | Celia joined the firm on qualification in September 2022 having completed her… | View Profile |
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Xanthy Papageorgiou | Xanthy is a solicitor in the Family department. Xanthy advises on all… | View Profile |
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Kathryn Peat | Partner Kathryn has specialised in family law for over 30 years. Her… | View Profile |
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Hazel Power | Senior Associate Hazel is a solicitor in Sinclair Gibson’s Private Client Department.… | View Profile |
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Hannah Southon | Consultant Hannah’s practice is dedicated to advising private individuals faced with disputes… | View Profile |
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Hannah Storey | Associate Hannah joined the firm in December 2022 having previously trained at… | View Profile |
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Eleanor Walsh | Partner Eleanor specialises in private client tax and trust law. She acts… | View Profile |
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Angela White | Partner Angela specialises in trust and estate work. She has over 25… | View Profile |
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Amy Williams | Partner Amy works in the litigation department, as part of the contentious… | View Profile |
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Harry Yeoward | Associate Harry trained at the firm and qualified into the Family Office… | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Number of UK partners : 10 Number of other UK fee-earners : 20Languages
English French Greek Italian SpanishClient Testimonials
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TESTIMONIAL: A divorce is obviously a very painful and emotional process to go through and not an experience one can ever be proudly comfortable with. Kathryn’s advice was first class and her understanding of the details in my case were outstanding. However, in my opinion, the most important factor in highly recommending Kathryn was that she made me feel better about the situation whenever I called in a panic. She kept me calm and positive about the process and at all times helped me be see that reasonable and sensible behaviour on my part was the only way I could look back and say at all times I did the right thing. For that I will always be grateful.
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TESTIMONIAL: Kathryn Peat has been our family lawyer for almost 8 years. She has been an incredible support for the family, a true guiding light when we were struggling to find a way forward, and highly focused on achieving the right outcome. Our situation has many layers of complexities, often with issues interwoven into the mix making it hard to present a clear case. But Kathryn always saw through the complexities, and would present a clear compelling case, and then lead everything to the hoped-for outcome even when it looked almost impossible to achieve. Kathryn also has the most extraordinary work ethic – putting the family she supports ahead of everything. I have had to contact her from time zones from the other side of the world, on weekends, on her holidays and regardless, she immediately responded, supported, guided and led to a solution. I do not believe that my family could have the life we have right now, with all the opportunities that it present for the children (and even for me) without her invaluable support, advice, guidance, and execution.
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TESTIMONIAL: When I first met Kathryn Peat I was going through a crucial time in my life. Years of marriage that had to be left behind in the best possible way. Kathryn Peat helped me at all times and advised me on all the details of the process. Being alone in London and as a foreigner, my legal position was special but her knowledge made it possible to obtain a fair trial. Kathryn proved to be an excellent woman above all, as well as her commitment to me and to my case throughout all time. I will never be grateful enough to her and her entire team.
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TESTIMONIAL: I instructed Sinclair Gibson to litigate my divorce following a personal recommendation from a friend who told me that “They have given me my life back”. Divorcing my husband has been complicated, I expected the worse and he has been determined to be difficult about every stage of the process. However in every regard Kathryn and her team not only conducted themselves with the utmost professionalism and used their full
knowledge of the law to represent me in the best possible way, they have also shown support, kindness and empathy for my circumstances. At a vulnerable time, I have felt secure in their hands and trust them to achieve the best possible solutions.
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TESTIMONIAL: Divorce proceedings can be overwhelming but from the moment I walked into Kathryn’s office, I knew I was in safe and capable hands. Her vast experience and considerable legal expertise combined with a calm, pragmatic and common sense approach gave me all the support and reassurance I needed during a complex and protracted divorce. She brings to the table a formidable combination of intellectual incisiveness, integrity and sensitivity with a focus on seeking resolutions.
Kathryn takes a genuine interest in her clients’ welfare and is committed to achieving the best possible outcome for them in order that they can move on with their lives. I greatly appreciated her invaluable advice and compassion when issues arose involving our children. If you are looking for a family law firm where client care is paramount, I cannot recommend Kathryn Peat and her team at Sinclair Gibson highly enough.
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TESTIMONIAL: Kathryn Peat at Sinclair Gibson has supported me during my divorce negotiations. Kathryn came highly recommended and has worked tirelessly in helping me through an extremely difficult period. Kathryn has provided robust counsel on both legal and strategic matters during an extremely contentious process. Kathryn’s experience has been invaluable in balancing the appropriate level of engagement with the other side in order to protect my position. I in turn would have no hesitation in recommending Sinclair Gibson.
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TESTIMONIAL: Kathryn Peat helped me through a very difficult period of my life. Her stellar professionalism is second to none and she has been able to combine wisdom and sound judgement with empathy – rare qualities indeed. I cannot thank her enough.
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TESTIMONIAL: Kathryn Peat has been my divorce lawyer recently and has done a fantastic job not only fighting for me but also protecting my interests and advising me along every step of the way. Kathryn and her assistant Jane’s demeanour and etiquette constantly made me feel at ease and confident even during the most trying of times and circumstances. All communications were replied to without delay. Kathryn’s knowledge of the law and the associated system were invaluable. I was never once in doubt that I was in the best possible hands. Thank you, Kathryn!
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TESTIMONIAL: I have found Kathryn and the team at Sinclair Gibson nothing but professional, responsive and empathetic. Whilst I am still at the start of what I know will be a difficult journey, to have a team as capable and proactive is incredibly reassuring at such a difficult time. Kathryn has been a real help when it comes to understanding my options and the right course of action whilst also offering sage advice along the way. I have been hugely impressed and have already recommended their services to friends.
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TESTIMONIAL: Xanthy Papageorgiou is an excellent technical lawyer. Superb on the detail, she identifies issues swiftly and comes up with creative solutions. She is a great team player. Legal 500, 2024.