Alexander Hawkins
MourantMourant is equally adept at handling the structuring of trusts and other asset protection vehicles, as it is overseeing multi-jurisdictional trust disputes where issues have arisen between trustees and beneficiaries, or the actions of trustees are called into question. Gilly Kennedy-Smith heads the group, advising both trust companies and HNWIs on succession planning issues, and is particularly adept assisting clients with tax structuring. Christopher Edwards represents fiduciaries in relation to money laundering and regulatory proceedings, while Jeremy Wessels acts for HNWIs seeking to challenge trustees or fellow beneficiaries, in addition to insolvency matters and actions to remove trustees. Alexander Hawkins assists clients looking to set up offshore trusts and advises trustees on their obligations in Guernsey.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Alexander Hawkins has excellent technical capabilities, alongside being approachable and able to explain complex matters in layman's terms to his clients. Alexander will certainly continue to be my go-to lawyer, especially for contentious private client matters.'
- 'Gilly Kennedy-Smith, who has recently qualified as an advocate, is highly experienced in offshore and onshore matters and able to spot onshore tax issues when they might float into view.'
- 'Clear, helpful and timely support.'
- 'Able to explain difficult concepts and pull on a wealth of knowledge for matters which are not mainstream.'
- 'Mourant has successfully built an incredibly strong and reputable team in their trusts practice. They have very affable and talented staff who know the area well.'
- 'Gilly Kennedy-Smith has done some exceptional work for us over the past year. Her knowledge and links with the Middle East and Shariah structures has proven particularly crucial.'
- 'Gilly Kennedy-Smith is a very strong professional and leader. She speaks well at conferences and is clearly an expert in her field. She is great at coming up with solutions and will always go out of her way to try and find an answer.'
- 'Alexander Hawkins continues to be a stand-out lawyer, providing practical advice on complex matters.'
Key clients
- ITG Limited & Bayeux Limited
- The Salim Habib Education Foundation
Work highlights
- Acted for Investec as former trustees of the Tchenguiz Discretionary Trust in relation to a long-running trust dispute.
- Advised the Salim Habib Education Foundation in connection with a £168m claim for the transfer of shares in a pharmaceutical company which had been donated to the foundation.
Lawyers
Leading associates
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Leading partners
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Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Gilly Kennedy-Smith