Constance McDonnell KC KC > Serle Court > London, England > Barrister Profile
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Constance McDonnell KC KC
Position
Constance specialises in trusts and probate disputes. She has appeared in a number of highly publicised cases, including Reeves v Drew (a probate dispute about the £100m estate of an illiterate testator). She has appeared twice in the UK Supreme Court: as Junior Counsel in the landmark case of Ilott v The Blue Cross and recently in Hirachand v Hirachand, concerning whether a CFA success fee can be recoverable as part of an award under the 1975 Act. Constance also has an international practice.
Prior to taking Silk in 2019, Constance won the Chancery Junior of the Year award at the 2018 Chambers Bar Awards, and was recommended as a Star Individual in Chambers UK Bar Guide 2019 and High Net Worth Guide 2018. Constance won the ‘Barrister of the Year’ Gold Award at the 2023 Citywealth Magic Circle Awards.
Career
Called in 2000 (Lincoln’s Inn).
Memberships
Chancery Bar Association; STEP; ACTAPS.
Education
MA in Classics, Oriel College, Oxford.
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Private wealth and probate
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2Constance McDonnell KC – Serle Court ‘Constance combines deep knowledge with an ability to get on with all client types and is a powerfully persuasive advocate. Her attention to detail is second-to-none, fully immerses herself in her cases and gives her all to every brief.’
The English Bar Offshore > Trusts and private wealth
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 3Constance McDonnell KC – Serle Court ‘Constance is determined and tenacious with opposing parties,and approachable and compassionate to her clients. She is calm and patient, persistent, and an excellent advocate.’
Praised as ‘one of the leading chambers for international trust matters, especially high-value and complex trusts’, Serle Court features members that are notably active across the Caribbean, Bermuda, Gibraltar, and the Channel Islands. Its barristers are well-equipped to act for trustees, personal representatives, and beneficiaries, especially in cases surrounding trust and estate administration disputes. Elizabeth Jones KC
has an overlapping commercial and private client practice, while Jonathan Adkin KC is particularly active in high-profile disputes across Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, and the Bahamas. Of recent note, Adkin is representing the plaintiff in a dispute surrounding issues of a settlor’s capacity in the Supreme Court of the Bahamas for more than $100m. Dakis Hagen KC has a thriving offshore trusts practice, and he is currently acting for the plaintiff in the high-profile case of Wong v Grand View PTC and others, which concerns an action to set aside five purpose trusts in Bermuda which in total hold more than $18bn. Constance McDonnell KC is another key silk at the set with expertise in the cross-border administration of trusts, especially in Guernsey and Gibraltar.