Private Wealth and Trusts Dispute Resolution
The members of our team have a wealth of experience advising disputes. The ambit of what we do includes:
- Claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 claims;
- Challenges to the validity of wills including those relating to a lack of testamentary capacity and undue influence
- Disputes regarding the ownership of a deceased’s ashes and applications for the removal of personal representatives;
- Applications for rectification of a will and issues regarding construction of a will’s terms;
- Advising trustees and beneficiaries in relation to trust assets and trust administration such as seeking disclosure of information regarding a trust or an account of the trust’s finances;
- Applications to vary the terms of a trust;
- Proprietary estoppel and constructive trust claims;
- Claims against solicitors and other professionals in connection with the negligent drafting of a will or trust, or where incorrect tax advice has been given;
- Claims against attorneys on departure; and
- Financial abuse claims;
Our dispute resolution experience means we can act for individuals or groups of beneficiaries, trustees and personal representatives – even if the disputes involve cross border issues.
Disputes are likely to be stressful so we aim for an early resolution – using alternative dispute resolution methods, such as mediation, wherever possible.
News
Managing a beneficiary: steps to take
Andrew O’Keeffe, Partner and Sarah Turner, Solicitor at Wedlake Bell talk about the steps to follow when there are concerns about how a trust is being managed. The primary fiduciary… Read more →
News
How families can get the wealth transfer right and avoid things getting messy – EPrivateClient
Head of the Private Client Disputes Team, Caroline Miller, and solicitor Sarah Turner comment and discuss a number of key steps that you can take during your lifetime to help… Read more →
News
Remote witnessing: no longer a remote possibility for Wills- Today’s Wills and Probate
Head of the Private Client Disputes Team, Caroline Miller, and solicitor Katie Turney comment and discuss the Government’s recent landmark announcement that it will be introducing temporary legislation to allow Wills… Read more →
News
Covid-19: Update on court hearings and mediations
As of 20 April 2020, there were 159 open courts in England & Wales dealing with essential face-to-face hearings. Telephone and video hearings are increasingly being used for non-essential face-to-face… Read more →
News
PROTECTION, PLANNING AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION FOR THE VULNERABLE
Wedlake Bell is a central London law firm that has been servicing its clients for over 200 years. It has 61 partners and is one of the top 100 firms… Read more →
News
“Was my father ‘coerced’ into rewriting his will?” – Andrew O’Keeffe responds to a reader’s question for The FT
Andrew O’Keeffe, Head of our Private Client Team, has had his responds to a reader’s question on inheritance for The FT. On the issue of contesting a re-written Will, Andrew… Read more →
News
“Could my will be challenged by friends or relatives after my death?” – Caroline Miller explores for Advising Families
Could my will be challenged by friends or relatives after my death? Under the laws of England and Wales, an individual has complete testamentary freedom. This means that you have… Read more →
News
“Where there’s a Will, there’s a way” Partner, Andrew O’Keeffe, writes for Spear’s Magazine
Partner and Head of Private Client Team, Andrew O’Keeffe, has written a new article on the importance of planning ahead for Wills for Spear’s Magazine. The article, published on 22… Read more →
Wedlake Bell is a growing presence in this area of law, which is definitely able to take on bigger, higher-profile teams and come out on top. Andrew O’Keeffe is a strong team leader, with great strategic intelligence.
— LEGAL 500, 2021
Andrew O’Keeffe is a well-known and rightly respected litigator. Caroline Miller is brilliant. Oliver Embley is an outstanding associate who is respected by peers and loved by clients.
— LEGAL 500, 2021
Caroline Miller is a litigator with deep private client knowledge. The team has a range of talent across the spectrum.
— LEGAL 500, 2021