Prior to joining Dickinson Gleeson, Guillaume worked for Jersey’s Attorney General within the Jersey Law Officers’ Department, providing advice to Ministers of the States of Jersey and governmental departments in relation to a range of issues including human rights law, European law, constitutional law and as to statutory interpretation. He also worked as a legal adviser to the States of Jersey Police making numerous court appearances as a prosecutor.
Guillaume Staal > Dickinson Gleeson > St Helier, Jersey > Lawyer Profile
Dickinson Gleeson Offices
Dickinson Gleeson
3RD FLOOR LE GALLAIS BUILDING
6 MINDEN PLACE
ST HELIER
JE2 4WQ
Jersey
3RD FLOOR LE GALLAIS BUILDING
6 MINDEN PLACE
ST HELIER
JE2 4WQ
Jersey
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Guillaume Staal
Work Department
Dispute Resolution
Position
Guillaume Staal is a Partner at Dickinson Gleeson and an Advocate of the Royal Court of Jersey who joined the firm in April 2012.
Guillaume’s principal areas of expertise include dealing with allegations of breaches of fiduciary duty, contractual disputes, enforcement of foreign judgments and associated freezing and disclosure orders.
Guillaume has been involved in a range of innovative Jersey cases including (1) securing an interim freezing order over a trust in aid of proceedings brought by a non-beneficiary before overcoming the ‘firewall provisions’ of the Trusts (Jersey) Law 1984 to obtain directions in Jersey giving substantial effect to an English order setting aside the trust, giving our client access to assets previously held in that trust to settle her divorce claim; (2) securing one of Jersey’s first statutory Hastings-Bass and mistake cases allowing steps taken within a trust to be unwound to avoid their crippling tax consequences; and (3) establishing that a common intention constructive trust may (as a matter of Jersey law) arise in relation to a loan account to a Jersey company in order to secure our client’s interest in that valuable asset.
A recent highlight has been acting for a Jersey company in relation to potential breach of duty claims against former directors. The matter related to the well-publicised controversial acquisition of a substantial London property by the Secretariat of State of the Holy See (Vatican) and the ongoing investigation into it and related transactions. Questions have been raised in relation to the value paid for the London property by the Vatican, the role of various intermediaries and the substantial sums they derived from their involvement. In Jersey, questions arise as to the conduct of the corporate directors of the Jersey structure and their compliance with their fiduciary duties. Related proceedings are afoot in the UK together with criminal investigations emanating from Italy.
Guillaume is also regularly instructed in relation to probate and employment law matters.
Guillaume is listed as a ‘Next Generation Partner’ in Legal 500 described as “adding very impressive strength to estate disputes”. He is ranked as a Rising Leader in the Private Client Global Elite, featured on the Citywealth Leaders List and previously named as one of eprivateclient’s Top 35 Under 35 – Channel Islands.
Career
Languages
French
Memberships
ARIES, ConTrA, AIJA
Education
Leisure
Out of the office, Guillaume is kept busy and endlessly entertained by his three young children.
Lawyer Rankings
Jersey > Dispute resolution > Dispute resolution
(Next Generation Partners)Dispute resolution is a core component of Dickinson Gleeson‘s offering. The team is well suited to contentious trusts, with deep knowledge in Jersey trust law. It has an impressive client roster of high-net-worth individuals and their trusts, as well as a variety of trustees and creditors, in the case of bankruptcy proceedings. Jointly taking the lead are co-founding partners and experienced commercial litigators James Dickinson 
and James Gleeson , both of whom are focused on trust and funds disputes. Craig Swart is a South African attorney specialising in trusts and insolvency law, while Guillaume Staal has a niche in estates disputes. Senior associate Pierre Ali-Noor puts an emphasis on emphasis on trusts, fraud and investment disputes.
Lawyer Rankings
- Next Generation Partners - Jersey > Dispute resolution > Dispute resolution
- Dispute resolution - Jersey > Dispute resolution