Probate & estate administration

Our probate practice is a core activity for us.  We have acted for many generations of executors and trustees including those owning the great landed estates in the UK.  The character of the estates we administer today ranges from the relatively simple to the highly complex.

The international aspects of our practice have expanded enormously since the early 1990s, reflecting the increasingly global interests of our clients. We were one of the first firms to address cross-border estate planning, and members of our team have written and lectured on this subject for the past decade. 

A key aspect of our work involves dispute resolution. But it’s equally important, we believe, that we deal with the more routine aspects of estate administration efficiently and compassionately.

Recent work

  • Acting for the executors of a landed estate in Wiltshire, claiming inheritance tax exemption on nationally important works of art worth around £150m.
  • Administering a substantial estate, including £250m of shares in a public company, a private jet and a helicopter.
  • Advising the widow of a German art dealer regarding the interaction between English, German and French law, in a claim against the estate brought by her late husband’s son.
  • Advising a group of UK charities on their liability to Belgian estate tax on assets that had been left to them under the Will of a Belgian resident.