A wide range of contentious and non-contentious trust matters fall within the strong remit of the private client and trusts team at Appleby. Its expertise extends across the establishment, administration, restructuring, and termination of a variety of trusts, including private, charitable, purpose, and commercial. Other areas of expertise for the department span advising on international estate planning for high-net-worth individuals and their families, trustee and beneficiary-related issues, and international wills. Sam Riihiluoma heads up the trusts dispute practice, which oversees high-value litigation and court approved restructurings. Vanessa Schrum co-heads the trusts group alongside Nicola Bruce, who joined the team from Collas Crill. Schrum is noted for her extensive expertise in assisting clients with non-contentious issues that often involve cross-jurisdictional matters, and Bruce has a particular interest in charitable and philanthropic trusts, as well as private family trusts. Counsel Caljonah Smith is notable for advising on wills, enduring powers of attorney, and heath care directives. Previous practice head Hannah Tildesley  joined Walkers in December 2023.

For Carey Olsen Bermuda Limited, contentious and non-contentious trusts and private wealth matters are core areas of focus, and the practice is praised by one client as ‘exceptionally strong in dealing with international complex trusts, wealth and succession planning’. Its client base is broad ranging and encompasses ultra-high-net-worth families and professional and lay trustees, as well as banks, financial institutions, and charities. Practice head Keith Robinson is widely recognised as a ‘go-to adviser in Bermuda for complex international trust matters’, and he has represented clients before the Supreme Court of Bermuda. Senior counsel Claire van Overdijk KC boasts expertise in cross-border trusts and estates disputes, while counsel Stephanie Bernard is skilled in international and local estate planning arrangements, wealth management structures, and trust restructurings. Counsel Ashley Fife is a trust structuring expert, and litigator and counsel Oliver MacKay is another name of note, as is the ‘simply brilliant’ senior associate Laura Kearns, who has expertise in the establishment and ongoing administration of trusts.

Conyers is praised as one of ‘the leading private client and trusts team in Bermuda’. Its client roster includes ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, and corporate clients who are seeking assistance with their private trust companies and high-value businesses. The department’s trust-related expertise spans across advising on the establishment of trusts, domestic and cross-border restructurings, and administration matters. On the private client side, its offering encompasses expertise in inheritance and private investment structures, charitable and philanthropic structures, inter-generational asset transfers, and regulatory matters surrounding cross-border transactions. ‘Superb trusts lawyer’ Ben Adamson leads the practice alongside co-heads Craig MacIntyre and Helen Cooper, both of whom are praised as ‘preeminent’. ‘Exceptional private client partner’ Anna Bruce-Smith focuses on international and local trust mandates and estate planning arrangements, and senior associate Davina Hargun is another notable team member.