Senior Contentious Probate Associate - Legal 100 / Chambers-rated, Surrey

New! - our client is a leading Legal 100 firm with a stellar reputation for complex contentious private client matters. Their Chambers-rated practice delivers advice and expertise to trustees/executors, private banks, individuals and charities across a wide range of trust and will/estate disputes. The team has extensive experience of advising on claims in different jurisdictions both within the UK and abroad.

The team focus on:

• Advice to private banks, trust companies and high net worth private individuals;
• Trustee disputes including breach of trust and directions claims;
• Estate disputes involving capacity, 1975 Act claims and undue influence;
• Court of Protection disputes; and
• Asset tracing and freezing injunction disputes concerning trust claims and allegations.

In addition to the above, the team:

• Support the Commercial Litigation team and gets involved in litigation matters which have a private wealth disputes element.
• Works closely with the private wealth team providing litigation support on non-contentious court applications (including Variation of Trust Act applications), advising clients on risk avoidance strategies and mechanisms and helping them to avoid disputes in the future by stress-testing their structures.

Typical matters may include:

• Disputes concerning the management and administration of trusts or estates,
• Advising on disputes concerning the validity of wills or other trust documents;
• Disputes concerning deputies within the realm of Court of Protection.
• Any previous exposure to the Inheritance Act 1975 is advantageous.

Due to growth, an exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Senior Associate / Associate to join the team. The ideal applicant will have a minimum of 4-5 years of contentious trusts/probate experience and solid academics including 2:1 classification at degree level. 

Representative cases include:

• Advising the beneficiaries of a substantial UK estate worth in excess of £20m on claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975
• Advising the professional executor of a heavily disputed estate concerning both claims against the estate by third parties, and claims within the estate by different beneficiaries.
• Advising the trustees of a substantial property-holding trust in relation to disputed issues concerning sales of property and distributions to discretionary beneficiaries.
• Advising the beneficiaries of two separate offshore trusts concerning their rights and claims against the offshore trustee

You will ideally be a confident communicator and have a genuine appetite for business development and marketing looking to make a positive contribution to the wider firm through cross-collaboration.

We are looking for someone who is calm under pressure and can work to conflicting deadlines in an organised manner. You should be analytical and approachable, able to deliver complex legal advice in plain language.

The contentious trusts team are friendly, supportive and collegiate in nature always looking to exceed client expectations on every matter. You can expect to progress your career within a structured framework for advancement. Working within the Chambers-rated Disputes team, you will learn from the best in the field and can expect early client contact from day one.

A generous financial package is on offer + excellent work-life balance and benefits.

To apply, please submit your CV via the link below or contact: ben@stonorlegal.com