Oliver Phipps

Practice Areas

Oliver has been a Partner at Lester Aldridge since 2016 and is head of the firm’s International Private Client team. Oliver has developed a highly-regarded team that advises on a broad range of international private client matters for clients in the UK and overseas.

Throughout his career, Oliver has specialised in administering complex cross-border estates and advising international clients with both Wills and estate planning.

Specialities:

- Applications for probate in the UK, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man for foreign domiciled estates.

- Cross-border estate administration.

- UK inheritance tax reporting and the interpretation of double-taxation conventions.

- Providing opinions on domicile.

- Arranging affidavits of foreign law.

- Advising on private international law matters.

- Preparing offshore Wills and advising on Will structuring where an individual has assets in multiple jurisdictions.

- Obtaining medallion signature guarantees and the administration of assets in the USA and Canada.

The nature of Oliver’s work has enabled him to travel extensively to meet with clients abroad and understand different legal systems. Travel has also enabled him to build a trusted network of legal professionals worldwide.

As well as being an accomplished solicitor, Oliver also practises as a notary public.

Career

Oliver completed his training contract at Lester Aldridge, qualifying as a Solicitor into the International Private Client team in 2011. He was promoted to Associate in 2014, becoming a Partner in 2016 and head of the firm’s International Private Client team.

Professional Memberships

Over the years, Oliver has delivered presentations to the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, the Institute of Legacy Management, the Fiduciary Institute of Southern Africa and the MSI Global Alliance.

Education

Work Highlights

– Forfeiture. Oliver has administered the estate of an individual murdered by their spouse. The estate involved assets located in multiple jurisdictions and where the child of the deceased was a minor. The deceased passed away intestate with the minor child and guardian both based abroad. Oliver applied the forfeiture rules in England and created a trust to preserve the entitlement for the minor child.

– Missing bodies. Oliver has assisted with estates where the body of the deceased had not been located. Where a death certificate has not been issued, Oliver has assisted families with the unique application required to gain authority to administer the assets of the deceased.

– Multiple jurisdictions. Oliver acted for an executor in Western Australia where, outside of Australia, the deceased left assets in eight different jurisdictions: England, Jersey, Isle of Man, Germany, Denmark, Singapore, Malaysia and Bermuda. On behalf of the executor, Oliver successfully administered all of the assets located in the eight jurisdictions outside of Australia.

– Estate with assets in Guyana. Oliver once dealt with a high-value estate that had assets located in South Africa, throughout the British Isles and a substantial shareholding in a successful brewery in Guyana. Oliver coordinated the administration of the assets situated outside of South Africa – including the sale of the shareholding in Guyana.