Natasha Stourton

Senior associate | London

Natasha is a senior associate in our trust and succession disputes team.

She acts for private individuals, charities, and other domestic and international institutions in a variety of trust and succession disputes.

Natasha advises on all aspects of the validity of wills, including claims of undue influence and disputed capacity, and has a particular interest in actions brought under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.

She also advises in relation to proceedings before the Court of Protection, including acting for applicants and respondents in applications for statutory wills, lifetime gifts, contested registration, and Powers of Attorney, and has experience of professional negligence cases in the context of estate planning and trust administration.

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Secretary Abigail Joyce

+44 20 7597 6089
‘‘

I found Paul Hewitt and Natasha Stourton to be sympathetic and practical. They didn’t over promise and gave us a fair and realistic view of our chances. I felt like we were all a team with a common goal.

Peter Burgess

Focus areas

Farms and estates

Charities and non profit

Philanthropy

Europe

United Kingdom

High-net-worth individuals

Track record

Admissions

Publications

Memberships

Talks

Assisted a daughter and grand-daughter in defending accusations of wrongdoing in an application to revoke a Lasting Power of Attorney in their favour, and securing the appointment of a chosen family member alongside the Panel Deputy.

Assisted a widow in Goodman v Goodman, reported at [2013] 3 WLR 1551, in successfully removing the executors of her late husband’s estate in favour of her chosen professional. Click here to view article.

Assisted two siblings in Burgess v Hawes, reported at [2012] WTLR 423, to successfully overturn a purported will of their late mother’s and secure recovery of lifetime transfers made to their sister and her immediate family. Click here view our briefing or visit the Daily Telegraph article. And again assisting them to successfully defend an appeal to the Court of Appeal, reported at [2013] EWCA Civ 94. Click here to view our briefing.

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England and Wales, 2009

‘Claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975’, the Law Society’s Probate Practitioners Handbook (7th Edition)

Probate Disputes and Remedies (3rd Edition), Jordan’s, contributor

Strength of Will, Law Society’s PS Magazine (Issue 105 May 2013), co-author

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Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists

Charity Law Association

Probate Update, LexisNexis webinar - April 2016

Me in a minute

I am acutely aware of the emotional strain of litigation.. that's not to say I can't fight if I need to

I wasn’t one of these people who always knew they wanted to be a lawyer, but now I can’t imagine being better suited to any other job! I can usually find an argument in favour or against most positions. This, combined with being patient (which is how one of my clients described me to Legal 500) and possibly pedantic, makes litigation a neat fit.

I am acutely aware of the emotional strain of litigation, so when I can guide my client through to a resolution, this is my focus. That’s not to say I can’t fight if I need to - I was a keen fencer in my school days and don’t feel out of place with a sabre in my hand!

The case I am most proud of is Burgess v Hawes, a will validity dispute in which we were successful at both first instance and in the Court of Appeal. It has been referred to in several subsequent judgments and, what I think got us over the line, was our rigorous examination of the evidence.

Education

Bristol University, BSc Economics
BBP London, GDL and LPC

Languages

  • English

Dates

Joined

2007

Recognition

London

20 Old Bailey,

London,

EC4M 7AN

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Insight

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