Hugh James has 'the depth and range of experience to take on complex or modest litigation for institutions and private individuals', running the gamut from Inheritance Act claims, through to complex proprietary estoppel claims. Team head Roman Kubiak is recognised as a 'titan in the world of contentious trusts and probate', combining as he does a 'first-class legal brain with charm' to ensure the best possible results for clients, mindful of the client's overall and objectives and the costs involved with endless and unnecessary litigation. As well as receiving direct individual instructions, Roman has also successfully cultivated strong relationships with financial institutions, charities and professional trustees, ensuring a tremendous variety and scope of work that spans Wales and England and also regularly has cross-border ramifications. Matthew Evans combines strong contentious and non-contentious smarts in his role as overarching private wealth head, ensuring that clients receive a very joined up and holistic service. Senior associate Sarah O'Grady  has thrived since recently joining the firm from Clarke Willmott LLP and has been particularly effective in handling a range of trusts and probate disputes in the agricultural sector.

Praised for its 'thorough and empathetic' service and ability to explain 'the legal options available in a way that a lay person can easily understand', Berry Smith is a popular choice, both directly from clients and in a referral capacity, across a wide range of matters, including on complex cross-border issues. Simon Care, who co-heads the team alongside Iwan Doull, displays 'incisive decision making' and is particularly skilled at handling complex probate disputes involving property law issues. 'Outstanding' associate Emma Jayne Scullion  is the day-to-day contact on many of the matters and is appreciated for her 'cost-effective and high-quality advice', including on Inheritance Act matters, and for beneficiaries seeking to challenge testamentary capacity.

The 'bright and capable' team at Geldards LLP continues to thrive in the market, generating work from the firm's broader private client team and its market-leading charities group, as well as standalone instructions from individuals, whether in their capacity as executors, beneficiaries and claimants not named in the will (for example in Inheritance Act claims). Team head Laura Alliss is 'a pragmatic, realistic, tough but sensible lawyer', who has been pivotal to the firm's success in the area, including on often very challenging cases involving promissory estoppel.

The 'responsive and knowledgeable' team at Howells Solicitors provides 'exceptional advice' to clients across a broad swathe of contentious work, ranging from Inheritance Act disputes and claims relating to the validity of wills, through to cases relating to the construction of wills and trust deeds. The 'exceptionally approachable' Laith Khatib  is 'superb with clients and realistic in litigation', in part due to his overarching private client expertise which includes both contentious and non-contentious prowess. 'Very approachable and sensitive' solicitor advocate John Davies  is also a key member of the team running his own caseload, as well as assisting Khatib on the more complex resource intensive matters.

Now with a three-strong team at various levels of seniority - following the return of one of the practitioners from maternity leave and the retention of a trainee - JCP Solicitors is well-placed to provide a 'cost-effective and knowledgeable' service to individuals across a broad spectrum of matters, ranging from highly complex proprietary estoppel cases, through to issues involving disputes between PRs. Team head Richard Howells is one of the best-known contentious probate practitioners in the market, particularly as it pertains to high-value disputes in the agricultural sector, where he regularly receives instructions from NFU members. Rachel Morris  excels in handling cohabiting disputes, while recently qualified trainee Tomas Davies  is already building up a considerable case load of Inheritance Act disputes, as well as providing help to Howells on some of the larger matters.

With broad geographical coverage throughout South Wales, including in Swansea and Cardiff, Red Kite Law LLP has strong connections with local private individuals, businesses and professional referrers, ensuring that it receives a significant volume and range of contentious trusts and probate work. Key to the firm's success in the area is the expert guidance and knowledge of 'calm and sensible litigator' Alexia Thomas, who is noted for her 'no-nonsense' and 'highly empathetic approach', which is highly appealing in often very stressful circumstances, including where vulnerable clients are involved. In addition, Thomas excels in handling cases where there are broader business or partnership law issues involved in a probate dispute, an area where she is effectively able to leverage her broader commercial litigation smarts.

Gomer Williams & Co's Clare Tregoning provides 'very efficient advice' to defendants and claimants on contentious probate work as part of her wide ranging commercial litigation expertise. Key areas of strength include work for beneficiaries challenging the validity of a will on the grounds of a lack of testamentary capacity, as well as work for executors