Dispute Resolution

Ben is an Advocate and Partner in our dispute resolution team. He is also the firm's Training Principal. His focus is contentious and semi-contentious trust disputes with an international element, as well as non-contentious trust applications requiring court blessing or approval. Ben also provides advice and guidance to beneficiaries and trustees through complex restructuring projects, or to bring in modernising changes to older family structures.

Recent work:

Acting for the beneficiary of a trust in a proposed restructuring of an UHNW family's wealth following a dispute with their trustee. Planning for the splintering-off of our client's interests, and negotiating the necessary protections. Acting for the corporate trustee of a discretionary trust settled for the benefit of the Settlor's children. The Settlor was domiciled in a jurisdiction in which Sharia law would have applied on succession. The trust imported aspects of Sharia law, while also providing for the settlor's daughters. A family dispute resulted in various challenges relating to the trust. Acting for the corporate trustee of a trust during the course of a significant family dispute. The aim was to divide the assets of the trust against a lack of any agreement between the beneficiaries as to how that should be done. Acting for two beneficiaries of a Guernsey trust in an application seeking disclosure of information from the trustees (who were family members) – Patel v Patel (Judgment 36/2016)

Ben read Psychology at undergraduate level at the University of Sheffield, specialising in workplace psychology, and subsequently undertook an MSc in Human Resource Management.

As a first career, Ben worked at a large public sector organisation in the UK, planning and managing significant projects of change and restructuring. This drew on both his academic studies, but also required coordinating legal input, and engaging in negotiation with trade union representatives.

In 2007 Ben made the change to law, studying in Manchester, and receiving the Law Society Bursary for his LPC studies.

Ben joined Collas Crill in 2009, qualifying as an English solicitor in 2011 after a secondment to Olswang LLP in 2010, and as a Guernsey Advocate in 2015. He was made a partner of the firm on 1 January 2019.

Ben also holds an apprenticeship board position with Starwood European Real Estate Finance Limited – an investment company listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange. It has a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate debt investments in liquid markets (office, retail, logistics, light industrial, hospitality and residential) in the UK and Continental Europe. The apprenticeship is part of a development programme run by partner boards in conjunction with the Guernsey Training Agency.

STEP - full qualification as Trust and Estates Practitioner (TEP) CIPD Chancery Bar ACTAPS ConTra IOD

University of Sheffield (2000 BSc in Psychology); Sheffield Hallam University (2007 MSc in Human Resource Management); Manchester Metropolitan University (2009 GDL, LPC); University of Caen (2014 Certificate d’études Juridique Français et Normandes).