Mr Greg Williams > Chambers of Mark Twomey KC and Alison Easton > London, England > Barrister Profile

Mr Greg Williams

020 7092 3700 clerks@coramchambers.co.uk

Work Department

Greg specialises in Family Finance, Private Client, Court of Protection and Children (Private Law).

Position

Overall, his practice is largely finance related, with particular expertise in Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 (‘TOLATA’) claims, Inheritance Act, Contested Probate, and other property related work.

Career

Greg is a Family Law specialist, with an emphasis on Family Finance and Family Property-related disputes.

Family Finance
In the initial stages of his career, Greg practised a broad spectrum of family and civil law. As he became a matrimonial finance specialist, this broad background has served his clients well. For example:

• He is recognised by his professional clients for having a wide knowledge of Private Client or Chancery issues. He frequently deals with cases concerning contentious wills, will trusts, the intestacy rules, unreasonable financial provision, (dis)inheritance, lack of capacity, powers of attorney, undue influence, and fraud.
• His broader knowledge allows him to bring a wide range of insight to his Financial Remedies cases which is typically of great practical assistance to his lay clients. For example: through his knowledge of landlord and tenant law (think the tenanted investment property, which one spouse now seeks to occupy); employment and company law (the spouse or now hostile in-law employed in a family business, or, significantly, a shareholder of the same); insolvency (both personal and corporate, and sadly all too common). Greg’s advice at an early stage can allow clients to think strategically about these issues before they present hurdles to the expeditious determination of financial claims.
• He is confident when faced with complex quasi-civil issues. He deals with issues concerning mortgages (including family home repossessions and the refusal of mortgagees to deal with a spouse who is not a mortgagor), and other debts and charges. He can advise regarding freezing injunctions or after the event enforcement of orders. Many of his cases also involve properties or other assets overseas, or jurisdictional issues.
• He has complete familiarity with the Civil Procedure Rules 1998 (as amended) and the Family Procedure Rules 2010, which enables him to advise on a wide variety of often complex quasi-family disputes, in particular TOLATA cases (his principal niche area).

TOLATA
Greg has undertaken numerous multi-track TOLATA trials in a variety of courts around England. He acts both in cases of cohabitee relationship breakdown and family investment vehicle cases (i.e. Laskar v Laskar cases) where regrettably the trustees and/or beneficiaries are in dispute as to what their common intention or beneficial shares were. He frequently deals with sole and joint names cases and has acted in trials where there was a Jones v Kernott argument that the intentions of the beneficial owners changed over time. Greg is also fully familiar with the doctrine of proprietary estoppel and how it may link to a TOLATA claim. He is known for his ability to give pragmatic and clear advice whilst appreciating the emotional difficulties which attach to this area of the law.

Schedule 1
Greg also appears in Schedule 1 applications for relief under the Children Act 1989. These are frequently ‘top up’ income cases but many are also property related and are often concurrent with Greg’s TOLATA cases.

Private Law Children
Although Greg’s practice has become weighted towards Family Finance and TOLATA work, he maintains a significant practice in Private Law Children cases and is thereby able to provide a complete service to his clients who have children. Indeed, he has had considerable success in Children cases concerning internal and external relocation issues. He has acted in international relocation cases where the relevant parties wished to move to the United States, the Middle East and New Zealand, amongst others. He has also acted in Wardship proceedings and child abduction proceedings. He has significant experience of intractable contact disputes; issues concerning domestic violence; stalking; disputed holidays or passport issues; children with significant health or educational issues; and grandparent contact. Greg appreciates the sensitivity of this area of the law and aims always to achieve the best outcome for his client whilst appreciating the paramount importance of the welfare of the children concerned.

Divorce
Increasingly, Greg also appears to be developing something of a niche specialisation in defended divorce petitions. To give two examples, he has acted in cases where, firstly, the Respondent denied that the parties were ever married, and secondly, where a Respondent alleged the parties were already divorced! He has also been instructed in contested annulment petitions up to and including trials.

Advocacy

Greg is well regarded as an accomplished and tenacious trial advocate, equally at home arguing points of law or handling witness evidence. He has a very busy practice and appears in court daily around London and the South East.

Outside court, Greg aims to give clear, practical advice about complex points of law. He receives frequent feedback as being approachable and easy to deal with by his professional and lay clients. He recognises the importance of putting a case on the right path at an early stage and is often sought out to advise in conference or on strategic issues prior to the commencement of litigation. He has a wide ranging and busy paper practice where he advises on and drafts pleadings in all his areas of expertise.

Memberships

The Family Law Bar Association
The Chancery Bar Association
The London Common Law and Commercial Bar Association
The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn
The Denning Society
Associate Member of Resolution

Education

LLB (Hons) – University of Warwick
Bar Vocational Course – Nottingham Law School
Called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn (March 2006)