Oliver Wooding > Chambers of Matthew White > Bristol, England > Barrister Profile

St John’s Chambers’ ‘excellent‘ Chancery and probate team stands out on the Western Circuit, with members offering ‘a wide range of expertise‘. Clients benefit from John Dickinson’s former experience as a Chartered Accountant and his ‘fantastic eye for detail’, while Alex Troup KC recently acted in the high-profile Court of Appeal case of Hughes v Pritchard, which considered the validity of the deceased’s will on the grounds of testamentary capacity as well as a proprietary estoppel claim to a substantial plot of farmland. Christopher Jones is a highly regarded probate and trust specialist and has recently acted in contested will claims, disputes over the administration of trust funds, and several significant proprietary estoppel claims, while Oliver Wooding has broad experience, including in connection with the rectification of lifetime trusts and applications for the removal of executors, and Joss Knight appeared in Bracey v Curley, which considered the principles of will construction and the availability of rectification as a remedy.

St John’s Chambers is a ‘go-to‘ set for Court of Protection work on the Western Circuit, with several members regularly receiving instructions from family members, the Official Solicitor, and local authorities, among others. Alex Troup KC is ‘a formidable advocate‘ and is ‘very able at explaining complex issues to lay people‘. His chancery practice frequently involves Court of Protection work, mainly relating to property and affairs. Oliver Wooding, always ‘able to build a good rapport with clients‘, is also experienced in mental capacity disputes, and again often handles matters concerning property and affairs.