Sinclair Gibson LLP

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: Sinclair Gibson’s private client group is at the core of the firm. It combines extensive expertise in advising UK-based families and landed estates on wealth structuring and devolution planning, with a specialist practice in advising international clients on multi-jurisdictional matters, including cross-border estates. The team as a whole has broad technical legal knowledge which is essential in the context of the increasing complexity of global family wealth management. The group is led by Keith Bruce-Smith and Lucy Gibson (supported at partner level by Eleanor Walsh, Angela White and newly appointed Oliver Bishop and Hazel Power as well as a team of assistant solicitors). Both Keith and Lucy enjoy considerable professional profile and recognition in their own right. Both act as fiduciaries of substantial UK and offshore trusts, and are also non-executive directors of UK companies owned by the families they advise. As such, they are bound closely to the commercial affairs of their clients.

Litigation: The vastly experienced Henry Hickman heads up Sinclair Gibson’s internationally well regarded litigation practice. The firm’s dispute resolution practice is primarily focused on litigation about trusts, probate and succession matters including for individuals, family offices, protectors and trustees on general contentious issues such as professional negligence. There are additional specialisms in Court of Protection and Privy Council agency work. Assisted by several other experienced solicitors, the department has recently seen an increase in claims brought under the Inheritance Act 1975 as well as disputes involving high value works of art and other chattels.

Family law: Sinclair Gibson’s family department is led by the highly respected Kathryn Peat. 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.