Sinclair Gibson LLP

Amy Williams

Partner Amy works in the litigation department, as part of the contentious trust and estates team, after training at the firm and qualifying in February 2015. She acts on a range of disputes relating to wills and probate, including questions of undue influence, lack of capacity and want of knowledge and approval. She is familiar with both bringing and defending claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act with resolution via mediation or in the Court. She advises trustees and beneficiaries in the resolution of issues arising from the administration of trusts, including the removal of trustees, applications for directions, and fee disputes. She also has experience of applications to the Court of Protection.

Angela White

Partner Angela specialises in trust and estate work. She has over 25 years of experience in the area of trust management for wealthy UK families as well as probate and estate administration, including those with cross-jurisdictional and contentious issues. She has a broad knowledge of tax - inheritance tax, capital gains tax and income tax - and considerable experience in producing trust and estate accounts. She is well-versed in providing support to trustees and executors through the complex and sometimes onerous aspects of administration, in particular tax compliance and liaison with HM Revenue & Customs.

Catherine Smith

Catherine is a Senior Associate FCILEx

Celia McLuskie

Celia joined the firm on qualification in September 2022 having completed her training contract at a mid-sized London firm. Celia works closely with other members of the department to advise a range of clients on private client matters.

Charlie Kassell

Associate Charlie completed his training contract at the firm and qualified into the Litigation team in August 2023. Charlie works closely with other members of the department to advise a range of clients, primarily in relation to contentious trusts, inheritance and probate disputes.

Eleanor Walsh

Partner Eleanor specialises in private client tax and trust law. She acts for a range of wealthy UK and international private clients and trustees, advising them on the establishment and restructuring of trusts and the implementation of creative planning solutions for the devolution of wealth and the mitigation of tax. Eleanor’s practice is a broad one, comprising work with an international dimension alongside other professional advisors in offshore jurisdictions as well as work advising UK landed estates on questions of estate strategy and the structuring of ownership.

Emily Cook

Associate Emily completed her training contract at the firm and qualified into the Private Client team in August 2022. Emily works closely with other members of the department to advise a range of clients on private client and probate matters, including providing advice on trust and tax issues.

Hannah Southon

Consultant Hannah’s practice is dedicated to advising private individuals faced with disputes relating to trusts, wills and estates, whether involving purely UK law and entities or with one or more international elements. She also holds a diploma from the Institute of Art & Law and is experienced in dealing with chattels disputes, again frequently involving multiple jurisdictions. Hannah’s experience includes: Acting for beneficiaries in successfully defending a claim brought under the Inheritance (Provision for Family & Dependants) Act 1975 and recovering on behalf of the estate sums misappropriated from the deceased during his lifetime by his Attorney. Acting for the executors of a high-value cross-border estate in connection with complex multi-party litigation to recover assets belonging to the estate. Acting for a retiring solicitor in successfully defending claims brought by her former partners that the pension attached to her position as a coroner was a partnership asset. Acting for a former professional sportsperson in recovering compensation from a former pension trustee for breach of trust. Advising a private collector to achieve the recission of a contract of sale for misrepresentation. Advising the owner of a painting in the successful recovery of the artwork from a third party in the United States, to whom it had been wrongfully sold by Timothy Sammons. Advising the UK-based heirs of a deceased French artist in connection with their right to receive resale royalties.

Hannah Storey

Associate Hannah joined the firm in December 2022 having previously trained at a city firm and qualified into their Private Client department in March 2022. She specialises in probate and estate administration work, providing support to executors throughout the administration period. This typically includes ascertaining the details of the assets and liabilities of the estate and preparation of the Inheritance Tax account through distribution of the estate. Hannah also advises on the preparation of wills, codicils and Lasting Powers of Attorney. She also assists the partners with the administration of trusts, including registration, ongoing tax compliance and the allied liaison with HMRC.

Harry Yeoward

Associate Harry trained at the firm and qualified into the Family Office Services Group. He specialises in probate and estate administration work, providing support to executors throughout the administration period. This typically includes ascertaining the details of the assets and liabilities of the estate and preparation of the Inheritance Tax account through distribution of the estate. Harry also advises on the preparation of wills, codicils and Lasting Powers of Attorney. He also assists the partners with the administration of trusts, including registration, ongoing tax compliance and the allied liaison with HMRC.

Hazel Power

Senior Associate Hazel is a solicitor in Sinclair Gibson’s Private Client Department. She advises individuals, families and trustees on a wide range of international and domestic private client matters.

Henry Hickman

Henry’s clients include private clients, privately owned companies, trustees, family offices and offshore law firms. His experience covers all aspects of trust disputes, in particular advising trustees in the context of divorce proceedings and beneficiaries on their interests under their trusts when there is contention. He has advised several clients on claims against their financial advisers, for example, where the clients sued because they were advised to invest in defective tax or investment schemes. He has acted in numerous probate disputes and recently has been involved in several cases brought under the Inheritance (Provision for Family & Dependants) Act 1975. As well as assisting onshore clients, his work has a significant cross-border element. Henry handles the firm’s Privy Council agency work and has advised on over 40 appeals and applications for permission to appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. In common with the firm’s international contentious and non-contentious trusts expertise, Henry has been instructed in most of the high profile and ground breaking appeals to the Privy Council in the sphere of trust law in the last ten years. Further details on our Privy Council work are available here. Henry’s practice has given him an unusually large amount of experience of acting for clients in other appellate courts as well as the Privy Council, having overseen several cases through the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in the UK. Henry is ranked in both The Legal 500 and the Chambers & Partners HNW guide. These rankings are based on independent research conducted by the respective publications and feedback from the firm’s clients, peers and referers. “a calm head” with “a measured style when dealing with opponents” The Legal 500 2016 “a rising star in this area” “a real gentleman, through and through” “He is a very nice guy and always on the ball. He serves his clients well.” Chambers HNW 2017

James Copson

Partner James has more than 30 years’ experience as a family lawyer. His work combines the resolution of complex financial disputes and children cases, often with an international element. He also advises on the negotiation and drafting of nuptial agreements. Clients praise him for his attentiveness to their interests and his ability to carve out sensible solutions for them. James has a track record of fighting for his clients in court, where necessary, and has been at the forefront of some leading cases, including the 1997 case of Wicks v Wicks (on the range of interim orders available on divorce), the 2003 case of Pearce v Pearce (on how to capitalise maintenance years after divorce) and more recently in Akhmedova v Akhmedov (on the powers of the court in aid of enforcement overseas of the then highest ever contested divorce award). James was part of the Pension Advisory Group, whose report won Resolution’s prestigious John Cornwell award for outstanding contribution to family law in 2020. For more than a decade, Being Pennywise has been helping clients facing legal proceedings to calculate how much money they need to finance their lifestyle. When clients are navigating this process, the saying ‘it takes a village’ couldn’t be more apt. That’s where Being Pennywise comes in. In each episode, we’ll be speaking to key specialists in the ‘village’, including family lawyers and barristers, mediators, divorce coaches, wealth managers and security consultants, to produce a helpful, informative and empowering series. It’s aimed particularly at clients, but we hope the series will be of interest to our fellow professionals too. What to expect: The first episode kicks things off by telling the story of how Pennywise Consultants came to fruition, as Alison sits down with James Copson, a Partner at Sinclair Gibson, who played a pivotal role in setting up the business. They’ll also be discussing the significance of which country a client chooses to conduct their proceedings in, and why no-fault divorce is “the hottest ticket in town”. Click here to listen to the first episode. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2166542/12676413-financial-facts-not-guesswork

Kathryn Peat

Partner Kathryn has specialised in family law for over 30 years. Her practice encompasses substantial financial remedy cases often involving complicated company/family business structures. She is widely experienced in the involvement of trusts, particularly offshore. Leave to remove from the jurisdiction/ internal relocation cases for international and domestic clients and nuptial settlements and multi-jurisdictional issues form an important part of her practice. Kathryn’s 20 years of experience sitting in a part-time judicial capacity, most recently in the Financial Remedies Unit in the Central Family Court in London, give her a particular insight into any case from all perspectives. The Legal 500 directory notes that Kathryn is ‘highly recommended’ and very active in children matters including Schedule 1 financial applications. She is a notable practitioner in Chambers & Partners which has previously commented on her being “extremely astute and gifted at analysing the situation and individuals, recommending the best course of action at every turn, and executing it in such a succinct and powerful way” and notes that clients describe her as “extremely plugged-in and immensely effective”.

Keith Bruce-Smith

Keith, who is ranked in the Legal 500 ‘Hall of Fame’, is a senior private client tax and trusts lawyer with over 40 years’ experience in the area of trust and estate planning for wealthy UK and foreign families. Keith has a well-earned reputation for an innovative approach and a robust, incisive style. He is particularly regarded for his commercial and technical acumen. Keith acts for a wide spectrum of UK and foreign families, advising on the management of their wealth and its tax-efficient devolution down the generations. He has extensive experience in advising on landed estates, and is a trustee or protector of both domestic and offshore trusts, giving him a depth of knowledge of the issues involved in structuring major trusts and devising creative and commercial solutions in relation to the devolution of family wealth. Keith was the co-author of ‘Practical Will Precedents’ and ‘Practical Trust Precedents’ (Sweet & Maxwell) and an original co-editor of ‘International Trust Precedents’ (Sweet & Maxwell). He is described in the Legal 500 as ‘high calibre’ and in Chambers & Partners as ‘a master strategist’ who ‘brings fresh and creative thinking to complex situations’.

Lucy Gibson

Lucy Gibson is a private client trust and tax lawyer. She primarily advises wealthy private clients and trustees on the establishment and restructuring of family and charitable trusts for devolution purposes and tax mitigation. Lucy’s practice is a broad one, advising private clients and trustees, often internationally-based, on a variety of litigious and non-contentious matters including trust variations and compromise proceedings (both contested and consensual), trustee removal proceedings and contested wills. Lucy has been consistently recognised as a leading individual in her field in Chambers & Partners which described her as “widely acclaimed for international trust and estate law expertise,” and “extremely able, highly intelligent”. Lucy is also often asked to advise trustees in the context of claims against them or when trustees become involved, possibly unwillingly, in proceedings ancillary to divorce in London. She is frequently instructed by other solicitors and accountancy firms to give independent advice to particular family members or a specific beneficial class in complex trust and probate cases. She also provides bespoke trust drafting services to a number of trust companies, often international, and financial institutions.

Oliver Bishop

Senior Associate, Private Client Oliver joined the firm in 2015 and qualified into the Private Client Department in February 2019. Oliver is a full member of STEP having completed the STEP Diploma in Trusts and Estates, achieving distinctions in the Advanced Certificates in Administration of Trusts, Administration of Estates and UK Tax for International Clients. Oliver advises on a wide range of trust and UK tax matters, as well as on wills and succession planning, for private individuals, beneficiaries, trustees and protectors, based both in the UK and abroad. Oliver also acts on a number of high-value contentious and litigious matters, and has experience of litigation in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Court of Protection.

Roger Cobden-Ramsay

Roger is a senior divorce solicitor. With over 30 years of experience in his field, Roger does a great deal of work on pre- and post-nuptial agreements and brings a wealth of practical experience to Children Act matters. He is also a recognised expert in high-value ancillary relief cases, frequently involving international issues. Recommended in Chambers & Partners for his “extraordinarily good judgement” and also ranked in The Legal 500, Roger has an excellent reputation for giving practical and robust advice on all aspects of family law. Roger has acted in a number of landmark family law cases and a rapidly expanding element of Roger’s practice is advice to trustees of substantial UK and international trusts on the effect of UK divorce law on assets held in family trust structures.

Xanthy Papageorgiou

Xanthy is a solicitor in the Family department. Xanthy advises on all areas of family law, including divorce/separation, complex financial disputes, pre and post nuptial agreements, as well as private children matters. Mediation Xanthy is also a Resolution trained mediator and is registered with the Family Mediation Council. Xanthy offers mediation to couples assisting them in exploring and working out arrangements for finances and/or their children cooperatively following separation. Mediator and Senior Associate in the Family Team, Xanthy Papageorgiou, has contributed to a podcast collaboration between Resolution’s National Dispute Resolution Committee and National YRes Committee. You can listen to the podcast here:  https://resolution.org.uk/podcast-in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-the-national-dispute-resolution-committee-and-the-national-yres-committee/