Chancery: Traditional

Wilberforce Chambers has an impressive group of barristers who handle complex disputes surrounding trusts and estates, and demonstrate multi-jurisdictional knowledge of the law. "They are the leading chambers on complex trusts issues.They are very strong across the board from baby juniors to leading silks," comments a source. Recently, members of the set have appeared in a number of significant matters including Byers v Saudi National Bank, which was a Supreme Court knowing receipt constructive trust case. One interviewee says: "All the counsel instructed have handled the matters with ease, providing prompt and practical advice. The set offers expertise in all relevant areas, with individuals also having a helpful breadth of expertise allowing them to assist with complex, multifaceted disputes."

Nicholas Luckman is the practice director.

"Jake Walker in particular is exceptional. He is eloquent, responsive, exceptionally well organised and understands all the concepts that we discuss with counsel."

"The clerks have been brilliant, organised and proactive. They are good at thinking ahead and I was very impressed with clerking team there."

"The Wilberforce clerking team is exceptional. They are responsive, with nothing being too much for them."

"They have a powerhouse clerking team; they are super organised, really on it and can have good, open conversations with you."

Brian Green KC is a respected silk whose depth of experience in both contentious and non-contentious matters is widely recognised. He works on a range of challenging cases both domestically and offshore, and is a particular expert in trusts and pensions matters. Green is the head of chambers. "Brian is supremely gifted and intelligent. He is approachable, explains things in a simple way and speaks passionately." "He is very thoughtful, strategic and good with clients. The judges trust his views and he is an excellent and persuasive oral advocate." "He's probably the most well-respected and well-renowned barrister in his area. If you want an opinion that will carry the most possible weight in the court, you go to Brian."

Clare Stanley KC acts in a wide range of private client and trust litigation, regularly handling highly complex disputes. She is frequently instructed on high-value matters both onshore and offshore. "She is very highly regarded, especially for offshore matters. Working with her is always smooth sailing. She is an elite litigator but at the same time she is so compassionate." "She brings a huge amount of experience and breadth of knowledge, and really knows her stuff on offshore trusts. She is so robust and so full on to protect the client's best interests." "Clare is an absolute pleasure to work with and has an encyclopedic knowledge of the law. She is also superb on her feet and can pitch an argument perfectly."

Fenner Moeran KC is particularly focused on high-value private client litigation and associated advice, acting in both court proceedings as well as various forms of ADR. He has a substantial advisory practice both onshore and offshore. "He is so good at putting clients' and solicitors' minds at ease and is able to navigate complex matters with ease. He is very robust in his advocacy but at the same time he has this sense of calm." "In advising lay clients, he is brilliant. He can distil complicated principles into a readily digestible form. He is highly regarded, and his advocacy skills are most impressive." "He's got tremendous energy, and is likeable, charming and lovely to work with."

Gilead Cooper is an eminent silk whose respected chancery practice is focused on contentious property and trusts. He attracts a wealth of praise for his advocacy. "He is very thorough, commercially minded, and I admire his ability to tackle new areas of law. He is extremely knowledgeable and a delight to be around." "He has a very fine intellect and he is someone who really does think laterally and approaches problem solving from quite unexpected angles. He is quick on his feet and is a joy to work with." "He is a masterful advocate with the ability to read a courtroom and improvise very impressively. He is somebody you go to when you really need an innovative and creative solution to a case."

Jonathan Hilliard KC has a broad traditional chancery practice that takes in a wide array of trusts matters and a substantial amount of advisory work. He is widely respected for the depth of his technical knowledge. Hilliard has built a formidable practice focusing on trusts, fraud and pensions cases. "His ability to be fully prepared for every meeting is extraordinary. He’s clearly incredibly clever. I also find him incredibly user-friendly. He's a complete team player." "Jonathan is extremely thorough. He sees angles that others don't see and is always five steps ahead." "Jonathan is a force of nature. He is at ease in tackling almost any complex trust issue. He delivers clear, meticulous, well-thought-through advice and is extremely hard-working."

Michael Furness KC has expertise in complex trust and estate matters, both domestically and offshore. "He is very eminent but also extremely thoughtful and engaged in the way he works with clients. He gives very user-friendly advice, even when matters are complicated." "His advice is clear, user-friendly and totally accessible to clients, even on the most complex and knotty of problems. Michael is dependable, highly responsive and a pleasure to work with." "He is brilliant in court - he's straightforward, judges really listen to him and respect him, and he has a very measured approach to his advocacy."

Robert Ham KC focuses his practice on trusts and other private client work, including tax matters, both contentious and non-contentious. He is regularly instructed in offshore cases. "He is solution-oriented, measured in his approach and also very client-friendly." "Robert is wise and extremely technically knowledgeable." "Robert is a reassuring presence, adeptly scrutinising before providing practical and prescient advice. He provides invaluable guidance drawn from his keen intellect and extensive experience."

Michael Ashdown combines expertise in private client trusts law with extensive tax knowledge to handle disputes centred on wills, trusts and estates. "He's been very thorough, his written work is excellent, and he's a really lovely guy to deal with. I've seen him on his feet and he was impressive." "Michael is very clear, straightforward and thorough in advising on interpretation of trust deeds." "Michael is a pleasure to work with. He is highly responsive and technically exceptional."

Tiffany Scott KC has a depth of experience in both contentious and non-contentious trusts matters, and is frequently instructed by high net worth individuals and top firms. Her practice also includes advisory work, and she is noted for her involvement in offshore work. "Tiffany provides excellent technical advice, savvy commercial awareness and very strong client delivery." "She has a very nice, calm manner and is good with lay clients. She produces excellent written work and is pleasant to work with." "She has a no-nonsense approach and is always so straightforward. She is very technical in her advocacy and a pleasure to work with."

Andrew Mold KC has a wide-ranging traditional chancery practice, with particular expertise in matters with matrimonial trust aspects to them. He also advises on complex fraud and pensions matters. "Andrew is very strong technically and a smooth and unflappable advocate. He is exceptional with clients and very accessible for instructing solicitors. He has been an invaluable part of our team." "He is meticulous and he has intellectual might and great attention to detail. He brings commerciality to everything he does and is a pleasure to work with." "Andrew is a delight to work with, being highly responsive and providing sound guidance. He skilfully leads discussions on technical aspects and excels in working with experts in other fields."

Jennifer Seaman is a specialist in probate and estate disputes, as well as pensions and inheritance matters. "She is very measured and thoughtful in her written work, and as an advocate she is very quietly confident." "Jennifer gets up to speed with complex material quickly and delivers succinct and practical advice." "Jennifer really understands the complexities and explains her advice well. She is easy to get hold of and easy to talk to."

Jonathan Davey KC is frequently sought after for high-value and high-profile traditional chancery matters. He is noted for his expertise in charities and for his handling of highly complex tax litigation. "He is an excellent leader. He's very communicative, supportive and responsive. He is also an extremely smooth and persuasive advocate. He identifies the essence of the case very quickly." "I think his oral advocacy is very persuasive. He is able to convey detailed and complicated legal concepts with ease to lay clients and to judges, and frankly he is just an all-rounder as a barrister." "Jonathan continues to win cases that seem impossible to win. He is worth every penny."

Zoë Barton KC has a broad chancery practice, which makes her a particularly fine choice of counsel for matters with commercial or real property aspects. She is also noted for work on Court of Protection matters. "Zoë is great in conference and in court, and delivers clear advice." "She is one of the most creative lawyers."

Edward Sawyer acts in both contentious and non-contentious matters involving trusts, probate and succession, both domestic and offshore. "He was responsive, considered in his advice and really engaging, and I think he has a great future ahead of him." "Edward is conscientious and considerate, with a brilliant technical mind. He parses weighty materials with ease, offering insight and direction." "His broad commercial chancery practice means he's an excellent choice for cases that straddle multiple areas. He's good at identifying a strategic path and finding ways to overcome apparent obstacles."

James Goodwin's chancery practice sees him acting on a range of onshore and offshore trust matters. "James is my go-to for commercial and trusts work. He is extremely bright, thorough, detail-focused, and drafts elegant and persuasive documents. He is just outstanding." "James has a considered approach and eloquently advises. He reliably provides written work of the highest quality, demonstrating a command of nuance." "The experience that he brings over a relatively short period of time really demonstrates his quality as a junior. He is incredibly bright and has great depth of experience."

Simon Atkinson has expertise in trust, estates and property-related disputes. He acts for a variety of international high net worth clients. "I have seen how easily he instils confidence in clients. His advocacy is very strong indeed and his written work is amazing. For complex points of trusts law, he is the one you want to go to." "He's really high energy, incredibly intelligent and very good on his feet. I think he had a judge describe his skeleton argument as a tour de force. He really gives it his all and is very impressive." "He is a joy to work with. His lovely personality is only matched by his technical abilities. He has an encyclopedic knowledge."