‘They have real expertise and experience in this area of law. They take a highly pragmatic approach, focusing on achieving excellent results for their clients. There is strength and depth across the team, with a number of strong practitioners at every level.’

‘Barny Croft is a tough litigator who works ceaselessly to get excellent results for his clients. I have recommended him on several occasions to clients who have always been impressed by his work on their behalf.

‘Whenever I’ve sought to address a query or introduce a potential client, I have consistently found a senior member of the team available to offer invaluable practical legal insights. Their guidance not only sheds light on the matter at hand but also provides clear recommendations on the most effective course of action.’

‘Kevin Kennedy – down to earth, clear and informative delivery, with a sense of humour ’

‘A wonderful team led by the superb Kevin Kennedy. Very good at managing large teams on complex cases. ’

‘Kevin Kennedy is an incredibly thoughtful lawyer who is excellent at devising a clear strategy and executing it. ’

‘Alex Rogers is very understanding of the situation and quick to comprehend the issues. She is also ready to consult others.’

‘A strong team and department with a significant reach and position within this area of law, acting for some large, national, charities in relation to Contentious Trusts and Probate matters. Known for adopting a commercial, pragmatic and sensible approach to the resolution of disputes. ’

‘Elizabeth Ware and Alexandra Rogers – both are extremely knowledgeable and adopt a sensible approach to the resolution of disputes, whilst achieving excellent results for their Clients.’

‘Michelmores offers the complete package, with a strong London and regional presence and with all the other resources in terms of expertise and experience which you could want. They frequently work for large charities as well as private individuals, giving them great insight into the full range of issues and concerns which a dispute of this nature can throw up.’

Tony Cockayne is really focused on achieving the best outcome for his clients and keeps the right level of involvement and oversight in his cases. He has an excellent sense of how a case will develop and where a deal may lie.’

‘Jasmine Ivory in particular is excellent: she absolutely gets to grip with the detail of a case and deservedly wins the trust of her clients and the respect of her opponents.’

‘Amanda Noyce is kind, caring, intelligent and knows her job inside out, even the complex issues.’

‘Mike Muston was my main point of contact in resolving my case. My overall experience with Mike was superb. He is highly knowledgeable in case law on contentious trusts and probate.’

‘My experience with Claire James was great. Claire was  very precise and transparent in her communication with me and am I grateful for her help in resolving my case. She also assisted in maintaining the trust built between RWK Goodman and myself.’

‘Fiona Lawrence is a highly skilled and experienced professional, who from our first communication has impressed me with her vigour and determination in mediating a resolution to a toxic family dispute. Her written communication is outstanding and highly effective.’

‘VWV has a really excellent contentious trusts and estate team with vast experience in probate and trusts disputes. They are often instructed in complex, high value and multi-party disputes. Their calm and thorough approach to the preparation of the case and attention to detail secures some very good outcomes and really reassures their clients that they are in the right hands. The team is led by the wonderful Michelle Rose who is frequently brought in as an independent trustee or personal representative where relations between the existing parties have totally broken down. The frequency with which they are brought into resolve seemingly intractable disputes is testament to the firm’s experience and skill in these sorts of disputes.’

‘Michelle Rose has huge experience and is very astute in her handling of fraught and highly contentious situations.’

‘Polly Ridgway is tactical, pragmatic and committed to her clients and her case management is superb.

‘Esther Woolford heads an impressive team and her breath of knowledge in Contentious trusts and probate is excellent.’

‘The firm is a great choice for probate and trusts disputes, with appropriate subject-matter expertise coupled with a well-judged and efficient approach.’

‘Victoria Riddlestone was the person we interacted the most . She was awesome, knowledgeable, committed, passionate and empathetic. This was important to us . She listened carefully and understood.’

‘Personable support. Billing is prompt, detailed and on time. A good balance of empathy and advice given. Quick response anytime I call. Response time is almost immediate, always a response the same day which is unlike any firms I have worked with before. ’

‘Empathetic, supportive, engaged in my views and are great listeners. Never fault on the information provided and not afraid to provide honest legal advice which has not been my case with other firms. Everything is very personable and they cannot do enough to help. Even very last minute changes when deadlines are due is no trouble and my solicitor must’ve worked ‘out of hours’ to get things changes and it wasn’t displayed to me as a problem, only professional responses. ’

‘At all times we have received relevant, thoughtful and wise advice from the contentious trusts and probate team and have been dealt with in sensitive and professional manner. I can’t recommend this team highly enough. ’

‘Louise Maidment is a very experienced and efficient contentious probate lawyer with a marked ability to get straight to the point and identify what needs to be/can be done. She is clear and firm in explaining her advice and the reasons behind it to the client, and to frame her advice and correspondence so that each client can follow whether they are new to the legal process or not. She also has an understanding of the emotional position that many clients find themselves in this type of litigation, which is often not as driven by monetary concerns that other litigation, and is sensitive to this in her dealings with clients. She retains however the right professional distance while being supportive, and is frank and realistic with clients about the chances of success and the costs involved and takes a firm but courteous approach with the other side, and is pragmatic where appropriate. I never hesitate to recommend her to other solicitors and to clients. ’

‘It is a partner-led experience rather than having an associate being delegated the work with minimal supervision.

‘The individuals I have worked with are all very efficient and really know their stuff. They are also extremely supportive.’

‘Although my main contact was Eve Hebbron, I always felt that there was a wealth of experience and knowledge amongst other members of the team that could be tapped into when specialist advice was required. Eve Hebron very quickly understood what was a very complicated case and provided sound advice to progress it.’

‘They are very knowledgeable and experienced in contentious trusts and estates. Potential clients can have confidence that they will be completely focused in achieving the client’s intended outcome. ’

‘I am dealing with Emily Prout who is extrememly knowledgeable and very helpful in her advice. She cuts to the problem at hand and is efficient in dealing with a complex situation.’

‘Emily Prout has a good bedside manner and is very clear at explaining the best way forward.’

‘Emily Prout is our lawyer from Thrings. She is calm, rational and extremely knowledgeable. She filled us with confidence from our first phone call and has not disappointed since. I would recommend her to anyone struggling with probate or legal issues. ’

‘Trowers & Hamlins have dealt with several complex cases with us over the last 12 months, including claims made under the Inheritance Act and cases involving trust disputes. One of their specialisms is contentious trusts and probate, for which they appear to provide an excellent service to their clients. ’

‘Charisse Crawford – Charisse is engaging and collaborative, but fights her client case with determination. She is good to have on the other side as she is a specialist in the practice area but also a pragmatist sop sees the value to her client in resolution of the dispute. ’

‘The team has a broad range of experience and specialism within contentious trusts and probate and expertise across the firm to handle even the most complex dispute. ’

‘Elizabeth Fry has been very diligent and thorough in our dealings. I have always felt Elizabeth has given me solid , clear advice and has always rigorously ensured that my interests are protected.’

‘Wards have been very approachable from the start of the process. All team members that I have dealt with have been professional and organised. Having many local branches that you can drop documentation into is a real bonus as it enable you to move things forward quickly. ’

‘Chloe King has dealt with my case from the start. She has been proactive and knowledgeable throughout. As I’m sure is the case with many people, embarking on a personal legal case is not something you will have done before and Chloe has provided clear and researched information throughout to make the process feel manageable.’

The team works as one unit under the careful eye of Paul Gordon. They are responsive and manage clients’ expectations well.’

‘Paul Gordon is a tactician when it comes to mediations. He knows when to strike and apply the pressure to get good outcomes for clients. ’

‘Paul Gordon is thorough, tenacious and practical. He is exactly the person you want on your team as opposed to on the other side. Katie Duthie is a dream to deal with, she is inherently sensible and reasonable.’

‘Clients love Charlotte Watts because of her amazing ability to make the complexities of litigation seem straightforward. She has great instincts and a nose for the winning point.’

‘James Aspden is a star.’

‘The team is well-recognised as the go-to firm to represented charities and charitable trustees in trusts and estate disputes. They provide real depth of experience in this field which is invaluable in ensuring the best outcome for their clients.’

‘I can’t have been the only case they were working on – Lucy Mignot must have had several equally demanding situations/cases running concurrently. Yet I was treated as if she was completely dedicated to me. ’

‘Excellent spread across smaller towns of Dorset and Wiltshire. Real strength across different teams allows expertise to be shared.’

‘Lucy Mignot is a star. Calm, considered, thoughtful and practical. A wise, reassuring presence for clients.’

‘The team at Coodes have been incredibly knowledgeable, understanding and reassuring. I found them to be outstanding compared to others I have dealt with previously. Meetings and communications that are flexible from in person to video conferences, are great options that they offer; especially when an urgent issue or matter arises. The team are always on hand to provide support and assistance.’

‘Melanie Grose and Hayley Gaffney have been representing myself and find them to be outstanding solicitors, considerate and extremely knowledgeable. Melanie always manages to put me at ease and explains all legal aspects in a way that its easy to understand and be reassured by. I feel that Melanie is exceptional and has extensive legal knowledge and experience. Hayley is very approachable and takes the time to listen and take worries into account when advising. I believe that she is a great solicitor and a great asset to Coodes. When Melanie and Hayley are working together they a force to be reckoned with and would recommend them to anyone needing legal assistance.’

‘Originally during stage, one and, two our team member was HG. HG did advise we would win, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case we found that to be a negative on the part of the early litigation officer and felt this was a weakness on the part of the early team. The file was transferred over to Mel and Jenny, diligently worked on our case for about a year and advised us well, kept us notified at all times my sisters and I found them to be approachable and explained when we were not able to quite understand, they would provide basic legal instructions without the court terminology. (I will be forever grateful for their advice and support) we were a great team. ’

‘Very strong ethos of guiding clients to early neutral evaluation, alternative dispute resolution and mediation’

‘Michelle Hayter exceptionally knowledgable and practical’

‘Hello this company is extremely supportive and very very efficient! Always keeping us up too date on the situation, we were very pleased too find them too represent us and are truly grateful for their help !! ’

‘Porter Dodson have been on the other side of a range of complex cases with us. One of their specialisms is contentious trusts and probate and they provide an excellent service to their clients based in the South West. ’

‘Chris Green is a highly regarded solicitor in his field. He comes across as a business-minded problem solver which is clearly in his clients’ interests.’

‘Porter Dodson do a good job of handling clients across the South coast and offer excellent value for money.’

‘The team at Slee Blackwell are hard working, conscientious and go above and beyond for the clients. The solicitors I have worked with are always available should I have any queries and they know their cases inside out. I would have no hesitation recommending them to anybody.’

‘I have worked with Naomi Ireson on a number of cases. All of the cases we have worked on have been organised and considered. Naomi clearly cares deeply about her clients and will go out of her way to reassure them. ’

‘User friendly, reliable, cost conscious for their clients’

‘Wonderful to work with. Clever, measured and calm, the paradigm of professional legal services. The team has a good range of experience and the contentious trusts and estates team and non-contentious, private international and charity teams work seamlessly.’

‘Luke Watson leads the contentious trusts and estates team. Luke is highly experienced and a lovely person. Clients, the rest of the team, and opponents respect him.

‘Elle McDonald has been a specialist contentious trusts and estates lawyer since her training contract. She worked in 3 other well respected specialist teams before joining Stone King. At Stone King, Elle has developed into a capable and confident expert dedicated to getting results for her client’s efficiently.’

‘Wollens are a Devon & Somerset Law Firm of the Year with clients throughout the UK and not just a local but national and international perspective dealing with properties and Estates worth not only hundreds of thousands but hundreds of millions of pounds in jurisdictions throughout Europe. Its Contentious Trusts and Probate Team has a unique insight into the many varied and diverse aspects of dispute resolution including contentious probate and inheritance claims, lifetime gifts, capacity and approval, undue influence, Executor & PR administration, proprietary estoppel, Tolata and common intention trusts. ’

‘Craig Smith, the Team Leader, deserves special praise and recommendation. He is a highly focused and skilled solicitor expert in the field of dispute resolution. He is highly sensitive to his clients’ needs and dedicated to finding solutions. ’

‘A firm who delivers excellence in the field of Contentious Trusts and Probate not least through the excellence of Craig Smith.’