Jenny McKeown > Stephenson Harwood > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Stephenson Harwood Offices

Stephenson Harwood
1 FINSBURY CIRCUS
LONDON
EC2M 7SH
England
Visit website 020 7329 4422 020 7329 7100

Jenny McKeown

Jenny McKeown photo
020 7809 2172 jenny.mckeown@shlegal.com View profile View profile

Work Department

Employment Pensions and Private Wealth

Position

Head of the employment, pensions and private wealth practice group, Jenny is a leading contentious trusts specialist. She is widely recognised for her experience in complex, high value, trust disputes in the private wealth, pensions, banking and financial services sectors (both onshore and offshore). She acts for trustees, beneficiaries, corporates, financial services firms, financial institutions, insurers and private individuals.

Jenny has acted on a number of high profile claims and trust disputes both onshore and offshore.  Her experience ranges from advising on technical areas of rectification and construction of trust documentation to applications for disclosure of information and seeking to hold trustees to account. Jenny has particular expertise in professional negligence claims against trustee advisors and representing trustees in fraud proceedings.

Jenny is valued by clients for bringing a commercial and pragmatic approach to complex legal issues.  She also has extensive experience of third-party litigation funding and insurance arrangements and recovering assets obtained in breach of trust. Jenny is ranked as a leading individual in Contentious Trust and Probate and Pensions Litigation in Legal 500 UK and as a Notable Practitioner in both in Chambers & Partners UK. She is included in the Private Client Global Elite directory and has recently been ranked in two separate Citywealth lists: the ‘Top 10 Power Women Trust Litigators’ and ‘Top 100 Trust Litigators and Polymaths’ where clients and peers described her as “discerning with great acumen, innovation and shrewdness. Quick witted, ingenious and clever”.  Whilst heading the contentious trust team Jenny won the Trust and Estates Litigation Team of the Year at Legal Week’s Commercial Litigation and Arbitration Awards for her victory last year in the Privy Council in Sachak Khan & Ors v Gany Holdings & Ors (regarding a £100 million cross border trust dispute).

She is regularly asked to speak at conferences on topical issues and has written a number of published articles.

Lawyer Rankings

London > Employment > Pensions: dispute resolution

(Hall of Fame)

Jenny McKeown – Stephenson Harwood

Stephenson Harwood‘s team works together with the firm’s non-contentious, private wealth, contentious trusts, and regulatory teams to assist clients with the full spectrum of pensions dispute resolution. Headed by Helena Berman, the ‘all-round excellent‘ practice is experienced in construction and rectification applications, FCA investigations, and moral hazard cases. Jenny McKeown is particularly well-known for her work with insurers, whilst May 2023-promoted partner Chris Edwards-Earl, who is lauded by clients as a ‘very impressive litigation lawyer‘, is a key contact for RPI and CPI disputes. Associate Maria Chami is recommended for her work in professional negligence cases in a professional context.

London > Private client > Contentious trusts and probate

(Hall of Fame)

Jenny McKeown – Stephenson Harwood

‘This is a supremely impressive team’ at Stephenson Harwood, comments one client. ‘They are led from the top by very strong, hands-on leaders and the strength and depth amongst the juniors is superb’. Jenny McKeown ‘has become the Grande Dame of the contentious private client world.’ It predominantly acts for ultra-high-net-worth entrepreneurs and business owners and their families, as well as trustees from around the globe. Its focus is on the most complex and high-value trust and family disputes, and the team has continued to expand its focus into the Asian market. The group also excels in advising domestic dynastic families. Helena Berman had another strong year advising on various substantial contentious trusts disputes. Peter Gillis is also a key figure.

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