Geoff Kertesz > Stewarts Law LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Stewarts Law LLP Offices
5 NEW STREET SQUARE
LONDON
EC4A 3BF
England
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Geoff Kertesz
Work Department
Geoff specialises in resolving troublesome issues relating to trusts and estates, whether domestic or international. He has experience with cases involving the UK, US, Channel Islands, Cayman Islands, BVI and Hong Kong, among other jurisdictions. Geoff is equally at ease dealing with purely domestic matters. Unusually for a litigator, Geoff acts as a trustee, which gives him a first-hand view of the issues facing trusts and trustees.
Position
Partner in Trust and Probate department
Geoff specialises in resolving troublesome issues relating to trusts and estates, whether domestic or international. Geoff is dual-qualified in England and Wales, and California. He was a litigator in San Francisco before cross-qualifying and relocating to London.
Geoff’s experience consists entirely of dealing with complex litigation relating to trusts and estates, often with an offshore element. He has experience with cases involving the UK, US, Channel Islands, Cayman Islands, BVI and Hong Kong, among other jurisdictions. Geoff is equally at ease dealing with purely domestic matters. Unusually for a litigator, Geoff acts as a trustee, which gives him a first-hand view of the issues facing trusts and trustees.
Geoff’s experience includes:
- Acting in a proprietary estoppel claim relating to one of a handful of privately-owned villages in England
- Advising the successful beneficiaries in a Jersey case that made new law on the scope of duties of trust protectors and the grounds on which they may be removed from office
- Acting for the successful beneficiaries in an unusual case where trustees surrendered their discretion to an English court
- In the Cayman Islands, defending trustees against claims of breach of trust through material non-disclosure and successfully arguing that a beneficiary had forfeited her interest in the trust
Career
Geoff joined Stewarts in 2020. He originally qualified in San Francisco and cross-qualified as an English solicitor in 2008. On moving to London, he was at Withers and then at Bircham Dyson Bell, where he headed up the will and trust disputes team.
Memberships
- The Association of Contentious Trusts and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS)
- The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)
- Trusts and Estates Section of the State Bar of California
Personal
Geoff enjoys the occasional run at a medium pace. When he lived in California, he was a passionate deep sea, big game fisherman. He is now learning how to pursue rather smaller fish while standing in the English rain.
Lawyer Rankings
London > Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
Spearheaded by James Price, Stewarts Law LLP has ‘a genuine personal touch and really tough fighters’ who are ‘unrelenting in the pursuit of the client’s cause’. It is known, both domestically and internationally, for its expertise in complex, large-scale and often high-profile trust, probate and capacity disputes both in England and other major jurisdictions. Geoff Kertesz is another leading member of the group who is frequently instructed in substantial trust and probate disputes in the UK, and in other countries such as Bermuda, BVI and the Cayman Islands. Emma Holland has a keen focus on probate disputes where there are conflicts of private international law, as well as disputes about capacity. Marcus Parker is another key figure. Senior associate, Jemma Goddard is adept at handling a broad range of trust related actions, as well as assisting in the resolution of estate related disputes. Luca Del Panta is also well-regarded.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Insurance > Clinical negligence: claimant
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
- Private client > Family
- Dispute resolution > Group litigation: Claimant
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: white-collar crime (advice to individuals)
- Dispute resolution > Public international law
- Insurance > Personal injury: claimant
- Transport > Travel
Firm Rankings
- Dispute resolution > Banking litigation: investment and retail
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: premium
- Dispute resolution > Competition litigation
- Insurance > Insurance litigation: for policyholders
- Dispute resolution > Tax litigation and investigations
- Insurance > Professional negligence
- Employment > Senior executives
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration
- Finance > Corporate restructuring & insolvency
- Dispute resolution > Public international law