Hannah Southon > Sinclair Gibson LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Hannah Southon

Position

Consultant

Hannah’s practice is dedicated to advising private individuals faced with disputes relating to trusts, wills and estates, whether involving purely UK law and entities or with one or more international elements. She also holds a diploma from the Institute of Art & Law and is experienced in dealing with chattels disputes, again frequently involving multiple jurisdictions.

Hannah’s experience includes:

Acting for beneficiaries in successfully defending a claim brought under the Inheritance (Provision for Family & Dependants) Act 1975 and recovering on behalf of the estate sums misappropriated from the deceased during his lifetime by his Attorney.

Acting for the executors of a high-value cross-border estate in connection with complex multi-party litigation to recover assets belonging to the estate.

Acting for a retiring solicitor in successfully defending claims brought by her former partners that the pension attached to her position as a coroner was a partnership asset.

Acting for a former professional sportsperson in recovering compensation from a former pension trustee for breach of trust.

Advising a private collector to achieve the recission of a contract of sale for misrepresentation.

Advising the owner of a painting in the successful recovery of the artwork from a third party in the United States, to whom it had been wrongfully sold by Timothy Sammons.

Advising the UK-based heirs of a deceased French artist in connection with their right to receive resale royalties.

Career

Upon qualification in 2006, Hannah joined the contentious trust and estate team at Speechly Bircham LLP, before moving to join Harcus Sinclair in 2008. She became a Consultant at Sinclair Gibson in September 2018.

Publications

Editorial Board and Author of Chapter D2: Trustees’ Administrative Responsibilities Planning and Administration of Offshore and Onshore Trusts (Bloomsbury)

‘Chattels: cutting the Gordian knot’ (an exploration of the High Court decision in Butler v Butler) – Trusts and Estates Law and Tax Journal (December 2016)

‘Protectors: an awkward position’ (The standing of protectors in England and Wales) – Trust and Estates Law and Tax Journal (June
2016).

‘Trusts: the importance of Judicial Discretion’, Trusts and Estates Law and Tax Journal (March 2015).

Memberships

Association of Contentious Trust and Estate Practitioners ·

Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners

Professional Advisers to the International Art Market

 

Education

After obtaining a BSc and MSc from the University of Oxford, Hannah completed her Legal Practice Certificate with distinction at BPP School of Law.