The private client and trusts team at Collas Crill advises on a number of issues, including cross-border trust structures and fiduciary matters, wills and estates, and Guernsey-based family issues. Practice head Angela Calnan is a trust structuring specialist, with further strengths in setting up Sharia-compliant structures for MENA clients. Joanne Seal oversees the firm’s international wills and estate practice, advising on estate planning and inheritance matters. Cerisse Fisher, who made group partner in January 2023, assists with the establishment, restructuring and winding up of trusts. Associate Marco Nel joined the team from Babbé LLP in October 2022, focusing on trusts, estates and power of attorney proceedings.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Collas Crill is our go-to team when we need Guernsey trust advice. We have recently been carrying out some complex family governance structuring, which involves not just trusts, but also foundations, bespoke drafting of companies articles of association and shareholder agreements. We have worked with them for a number of years, they are responsive and their advice is always constructive.'
  • 'Angela Calnan is a first-rate trust lawyer. She has a pragmatic approach and looks for solutions rather than problems.'
  • 'Collas Crill's approach instils confidence in their technical expertise, and their quick response times, open approach and plain English communication style contribute to a reassuring experience.'
  • 'Angela Calnan provides clear advice in an open and friendly manner that reassures the client that she is abreast of both the current legal position and the management of the client's requirements.'
  • 'Cerisse Fisher's amiable approach and clear communication style provides the client with confidence that she is on top of technical matters and developments in the trust and fiduciary field and that their affairs are in safe hands.'

Key clients

  • HFL Limited
  • Praxis Trustees
  • Lancaster Trustees
  • Artemis Trustees
  • Maurice Turnor Grdner
  • Laytons LLP
  • Cazenove Capital
  • Charles Russell Speechlys
  • Macfarlanes
  • Forsters
  • Stenham Trustees Limited
  • Grayson Clements Ltd
  • Intertrust Trustees (Guernsey) Limited
  • MJ Hudson
  • Charles Mia Limited

Work highlights

  • Advised a Guernsey high street bank on an application to the Guernsey Courts for a Guernsey grant of probate.
  • Advised on the registration of LPA-appointed trustees to act as corporate attorneys following loss of capacity consequent on the introduction of the new LPA system in April 2022.
  • Assisted with the registration of a bespoke charitable foundation, PTC and other trusts for a high-profile Jordanian family.

Lawyers

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Collas Crill
Angela is Partner and head of the International Private Client & Trust Department in Guernsey. Angela's core strengths are in establishing, reorganising and winding up Guernsey trust and foundation structures (including pension and gratuity schemes) and also assisting trustees in navigating the administration of those structures in accordance with their fiduciary duties. As a former litigator prior to moving to Guernsey, Angela is great at spotting thorny issues early and assisting trustees and beneficiaries to resolve conflict before things escalate into litigation. Day to day, Angela's caseload is very varied. Recently she has established private trust companies and private trustee foundations with multiple underlying trusts and companies for both domestic and international families in conjunction with some of the UK's leading City firms. She has established multi-million dollar pensions and end of service gratuity schemes for multiple UAE companies and she has also assisted trustees in deliberating "momentous decisions" and mediating the interests of warring beneficiaries.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Angela Calnan

Other key lawyers

Joanne Seal, Cerisse Fisher, Marco Nel