The team is known for its technical expertise, high quality advice and commitment to the third sector. The team takes a firm but fair approach to claims, recognising the special position of the third sector in the eyes of the public.

The team undertakes a wide range of contentious probate work for the third sector. The cases handled frequently involve complex will/ trust disputes and problem estates where charities are major beneficiaries. We regularly deal with extremely high value estates and claims. The team’s expertise includes:

• Probate actions where the mental capacity of the deceased is in dispute, or other disputes relating to a will, e.g want of knowledge and approval claims, undue influence claims, etc;
• Applications under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975;
• Actions against negligent and/or fraudulent personal representatives for breach of trust;
• Litigation involving the construction of wills and trusts, rectification actions, applications to remove/ substitute executors or trustees.
• Overseas trust litigation;
• Asset tracing and recovery.

The head of the team, Angela Bowman, writes a regular 'Ask Angela' column in the Institute of Legacy Management's newsletter, and the questions and answers are reproduced here. For further information, please contact Angela.