Trusts
“Many fantastic barristers, and a first port of call on any company, commercial, trusts, and insolvency disputes. ”
Legal 500 2025
“Many fantastic barristers, and a first port of call on any company, commercial, trusts, and insolvency disputes. ”
Legal 500 2025
Serle Court is widely recognised as a stellar set in relation to trusts. We advise on contentious and non-contentious issues relating to trusts, both in the UK and internationally.
Our “sought after” barristers at every level are acknowledged as leaders in the field. They are consistently instructed in major trust disputes and advisory matters across England and key offshore jurisdictions. These cases are typically high-value, legally complex, frequently involving restructuring, cross-jurisdictional issues and allegations of civil fraud.
With a pre-eminent reputation for offshore trusts litigation and related advisory work, our members regularly act in significant matters across the Caribbean, Bermuda, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar, Lichtenstein, Hong Kong and Singapore. A standout recent example is Grand View Trust Company v Wong & Ors, one of most valuable trusts cases ever litigated (US$20 billion), in which eight Serle Court barristers appeared for three different parties in Bermuda.
Our clients include a wide range of solicitors onshore and many leading offshore, domestic and foreign law firms in relation to our international work, as well as major institutional trustees.
Across all matters, our barristers are known for their collaborative approach – working effectively with multinational, multi-jurisdictional and multi-disciplinary teams on large-scale disputes.
Call: 1984
Silk: 2000
Call: 1969
Silk: 1990
Call: 1975
Silk: 1993
Call: 1983
Silk: 2002
Call: 1992
Silk: 2008
John Machell KC has a broad commercial chancery practice, with particular experience in large-scale litigation involving trusts, fiduciary/director duties, and fraud, particularly with an international dimension.
John is regarded as one of the leading partnership and LLP silks and has experience of a wide range of both contentious and non-contentious matters across the whole range of business sectors. A large part of his work involves issues arising from the use of partnerships and LLPs in hedge fund and private equity structures; in international commercial group structures; and as part of wealth planning strategies.
A substantial part of John’s practice is offshore, and he has appeared in the courts of Grand Cayman, the British Virgin Islands, and Bermuda on several occasions in recent years.
Call: 1993
Silk: 2012
Call: 1992
Silk: 2013
Call: 1997
Silk: 2013
Call: 1996
Silk: 2014
As part of a broad Chancery-Commercial practice, Daniel Lightman KC engages with challenging and novel issues of law and civil procedure, in particular concerning shareholder disputes (having appeared in a number of landmark unfair prejudice petitions and derivative claims), company law (including in matrimonial proceedings), insolvency, civil fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and professional negligence.
Shortlisted for Company/Insolvency Silk of the Year in the Chambers & Partners UK Bar Awards in both 2026 and 2024 and shortlisted for Chancery Silk of the Year in the Legal 500 Bar Awards 2026, Daniel is recommended in Band 1 for Silks for Company by both Chambers UK, 2027 and the Legal 500, 2027 – and in Band 1 for Chancery Commercial by Chambers. Chambers UK, 2027 describes him as “A go-to silk for high value, complex disputes who leads the pack on shareholder disputes. He has great judgement and always furnishes reliable advice” and praises him for “constantly identifying innovative solutions to complex problems” and building “outstanding relationships with the wider legal team.”
Daniel has an extensive international practice, including current or recent shareholder litigation in the courts of Abu Dhabi, Bermuda, Cayman, Guernsey and Qatar, and a multi-shareholder arbitration in Hong Kong.
Call: 1995
Silk: 2016
Described by The Legal 500 as “one of the stars of his generation”, Richard Wilson KC specialises in litigation, drafting and advisory work across traditional and commercial chancery. His practice focuses on trusts and probate, both contentious and non-contentious, related company and partnership law, claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, tax, professional negligence and civil fraud.
Richard has acted in many of the most significant and high-value cases in these areas in recent years. He is currently involved in several disputes concerning the estates of ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) in England and overseas.
His practice frequently involves offshore matters and private international law. He has appeared before the Privy Council, the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal of Gibraltar, the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal of Bermuda, the Supreme Court of The Bahamas, the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, and the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. He has also provided expert evidence on English law before the Royal Courts of Jersey and Guernsey.
Richard regularly acts in disputes across all the principal offshore jurisdictions. A significant proportion of his practice involves international clients, particularly those based in Asia, including Hong Kong.
Call: 1996
Silk: 2016
Call: 2006
Silk: 2016
Call: 2002
Silk: 2017
Call: 2000
Silk: 2019
Call: 1995
Silk: 2020
Timothy Collingwood KC has a broad commercial and chancery practice, with a particular emphasis on litigation concerning commercial agreements, company, insolvency, and international trust matters.
Described in Legal 500 (2025) as “a truly gifted advocate who is totally committed to the case”. The directories recognise him as a leading practitioner in these fields. He has extensive experience of claims concerning breaches of duty, in particular in respect of directors or trustees and frequently involving allegations of fraud, and of shareholder disputes.
Prior to commencing practice in this jurisdiction, Tim was called to the bar in the Cayman Islands and practised as an attorney-at-law. He continues to undertake work in respect of a number of offshore jurisdictions. He is called to the Bar of the British Virgin Islands.
Call: 1996
Silk: 2020
Call: 1997
Silk: 2022
Call: 2007
Silk: 2023
Matthew Morrison KC has a broad commercial chancery practice, with particular expertise in civil fraud, company and partnership disputes, and insolvency litigation.
Described by Chambers UK 2027 as an “outstanding barrister” who is “technically brilliant, fantastic with clients and someone whose cross-examination is exceptional”, Matthew regularly appears in the High Court and Court of Appeal and has acted in proceedings before the Grand Court and Court of Appeal of the Cayman Islands, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (BVI), the Supreme Court of Gibraltar, the Isle of Man High Court of Justice and the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts. He also has significant experience assisting advocates before the Royal Courts of Jersey and Guernsey. He is generally admitted to the BVI Bar and is currently admitted ad hoc on a number of matters in the Cayman Islands.
Matthew is an established legal author. He has written widely read PLC practice notes on minority shareholder remedies and edits chapters on directors’ duties and disqualification, and insolvency, in Gore-Browne, Butterworths Corporate Law Service, Tolley’s Company Law Service and Tolley’s Company Law Handbook; and on unfair prejudice, misfeasance and disqualification in the Law of Limited Liability Partnerships (Whittaker and Machell (6th ed.), 2026).
Call: 2004
Silk: 2025
Jonathan Upton KC is recognised for his work in high-value commercial disputes, real estate litigation and asset recovery. His expertise across these interconnected fields makes him “the perfect package for complex and hard-fought” litigation.
His work is both domestic and international, with many cases involving fraud and trusts. Jonathan is regularly instructed in complex, high-value and urgent applications, including freezing injunctions, proprietary injunctions and asset disclosure orders. Commentators note that “he has an unwavering ability to get to the commercial crux of a matter extremely quickly” and that “Jonathan is both technically brilliant and a creative advocate.”
Recent instructions include acting in a substantial Commercial Court group action involving over 200 claimants and allegations of fraud, conspiracy and non est factum; advising on the recovery of debts in the context of the Russian sanctions and OFSI licensing regime; and challenging a Letter of Request issued by the Supreme Court of New York to the Royal Court of Jersey in connection with the Williams F1 Racing Team v Schwarz litigation in the US.
Jonathan is noted for being “incredibly approachable and helpful. You can just pick up the phone and talk to him” and “an absolute pleasure to work with.”
Call: 2004
Silk: 2026
James Weale KC has a very busy commercial chancery practice with a focus on domestic and international commercial and trusts disputes.
He is recognised as a leading practitioner in those fields by Chambers & Partners, Legal 500, Chambers Global, Chambers High Net Worth, and Who’s Who Legal, where they describe him as a “brilliant lawyer” and a “Superstar”. He was Chambers & Partners’ Chancery Junior of the Year in 2023.
He regularly appears (both as sole and junior counsel) in the English High Court and has appeared several times in the Court of Appeal. He also has considerable experience in overseas jurisdictions (including as sole counsel), including Bermuda, the DIFC, the BVI, Cayman, Jersey, Guernsey, Gibraltar and Panama.
Call: 2007
Silk: 2026
Call: 1998
Call: 1999
Call: 2001
Call: 2001
Call: 2006
Call: 2007
Call: 2008
Call: 2009
Call: 2009
Call: 2010
Call: 2011
Call: 2012
Zahler Bryan has a broad commercial chancery practice, with a particular emphasis on contentious trusts, civil fraud and financial disputes.
She regularly advises on a wide range of matters, with considerable experience in large-scale commercial and trust disputes spanning an extensive range of jurisdictions.
Zahler also has a particular interest in appellate work and has appeared in the Supreme Court and the Privy Council.
Described as “razor smart and a great asset to any team“, Zahler was awarded ‘Chancery Junior of the Year’ at the Legal 500 UK Bar Awards 2023.
Call: 2012
Harry Martin has a busy junior practice specialising in chancery, commercial chancery, and art and cultural property work. He advises in relation to contentious and non-contentious matters, both in England & Wales and in other jurisdictions.
Harry is ranked as a leading barrister in the Chambers UK Bar and Chambers High Net Worth guides, which describe him as “a rising star”, and “very bright and commercial in his advice”.
Call: 2012
Call: 2013
Oliver Jones is a senior junior with a broad commercial and chancery practice, and particular expertise in private wealth and civil fraud disputes. He is recognised by the directories as a leading junior in these areas.
In addition to his busy practice in England, he regularly works in major offshore jurisdictions, including the Channel Islands, BVI and Bermuda. Ollie was called to the BVI bar in 2019.
In addition to noting his “incredible intellect” and “engaging and persuasive” advocacy, the directories note Ollie’s ability to “roll up his sleeves”, “get on top of huge volumes of work and detail quickly” and build a “great rapport with clients”. In addition to acting unled, Ollie also enjoys working as part of larger teams on large-scale litigation, in which he “consistently delivers impressive results”. Ollie takes pride in his reputation for being “user-friendly” and “great to work with”.
Before coming to the Bar, Ollie spent several years as a management consultant in the financial services, energy, and public sectors. He brings this commercial experience and perspective to bear in his cases.
Call: 2014
Charlotte Beynon has a commercial chancery practice encompassing contentious trusts, civil fraud, insolvency and commercial litigation.
Her clients say, “Charlotte is brilliant. A superstar in the making”, and they also commend her as “pragmatic, responsive and commercial.”
She frequently handles complex, high-value cases, onshore and offshore, often with international elements. She is particularly experienced in acting in high-value offshore trusts disputes and complex fraud claims – often raising issues of private international law.
Charlotte regularly appears in the High Court and County Court both led and as sole counsel. She also appears as specialist chancery counsel in matrimonial proceedings in the Family Division. Her legal writing has been published in Trusts & Trustees.
Call: 2015
Call: 2016
Call: 2017
Sparsh Garg is a chancery and commercial barrister specialising in contentious trusts and estates matters and company disputes. He has acted in complex, high-value trusts and company cases.
Sparsh is recognised in the legal directories for offshore private client and commercial work. He regularly receives instructions in The Bahamas, Gibraltar and Jersey, is called to the BVI Bar, and acts in BVI matters independently and as part of counsel teams.
In England, Sparsh is recognised as a “rising star” and “up and coming” barrister in traditional chancery and private client work. Clients describe him as “intelligent, hard-working, an innovative thinker”, as well as personable and a good team player.
In 2019, Sparsh was seconded to the dispute resolution team of a leading Gibraltar law firm, working on contentious trusts and commercial disputes. He has since continued to develop his offshore practice, acting as sole counsel and alongside other barristers.
His offshore experience includes three Privy Council appeals: Chu v Lau [2020], concerning just and equitable winding-up on grounds of shareholder deadlock; Perry v Lopag [2023], concerning appellate intervention in findings of foreign law; and Dawson-Damer v Grampian Trust Company Ltd, concerning a trustee’s duty of adequate deliberation.
Call: 2017
Jamie Randall has a practice spanning a wide range of disputes concerning commercial and personal interests, and frequently the interconnection between the two. His recent trust and probate work covers the full spectrum of traditional chancery proceedings, including claims for breach of trust, accounts and removal of trustees, proprietary estoppel, 1975 Act claims, and probate disputes. Those cases often have an international element and he has acted on cases in numerous jurisdictions, including Jersey, Guernsey, Singapore, The Bahamas and Bermuda. His commercial work often includes claims for breach of fiduciary duty, deceit, unfair prejudice and insolvency-related issues.
Prior to coming to the Bar, Jamie worked in strategy consulting focused on the financial services sector. He approaches cases with pragmatism and always maintains a focus on the commercial outcome for clients. He also still enjoys being able to apply his financial experience to complex claims concerning valuation and forensic accounting issues.
Call: 2017
Call: 2017
Call: 2019
Call: 2020
Call: 2020
Call: 2021
Niamh Herrett has a broad commercial and chancery practice, with particular interest in private client trusts and probate, commercial disputes, and intellectual property. She is identified as a ‘Rising Star’ in the Legal 500 and, since joining Chambers in October 2022, has appeared in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
Niamh spent her first six months in practice on secondment to Farrer & Co’s contentious trusts team, where she worked on complex, high-profile private client trusts and probate matters. She enjoys advising clients in her sole capacity, as well as working as part of a larger counsel team.
Before joining Serle Court, Niamh studied law at Merton College, Oxford, graduating with a first-class undergraduate degree and a Distinction in the BCL, receiving numerous academic scholarships and prizes. During her BPC year, Niamh was a Guest Teacher at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where she taught undergraduate seminars on the Property II course (Land and Trusts).
Call: 2021
Call: 2021
Since joining chambers in 2024 on the successful completion of pupillage, Anneliese has enjoyed acting led and as sole counsel in matters both domestic and offshore. She has a particular interest in matters involving trusts, private clients, contracts and commercial arrangements, matrimonial finance, intellectual property, and art and cultural property.
Anneliese is identified as a ‘Rising Star’ in the Legal 500, and as ‘Up and Coming’ in Chambers & Partners’ High Net Worth Guide and UK Bar directories.
Well-publicised matters in which Anneliese has been involved include the Jersey Heritage Trust’s claim against artist Christopher Levine (led by Stephanie Wickenden, for the claimant), Ant and Dec’s successful application for a Norwich Pharmacal order against a respondent art dealer (led by Harry Martin, for the applicants), a trademark dispute arising out of a “Dragon’s Den” invention (led by Michael Edenborough), and the will validity dispute Leonard v Leonard [2024] EWHC 321(ChD) (as a pupil).
Prior to joining Chambers, Anneliese was a fine art specialist at international auction houses. She holds an MBA alongside her legal and undergraduate qualifications and is bilingual in French.
Call: 2021
Call: 2008 (Hong Kong, non-practising) 2022 (England & Wales)
Call: 2022
Call: 2023
Call: 2023
Call: 2023
Call: 2023
Call: 2023
Call: 2024
Nia Moseley-Roberts is building a broad commercial and chancery practice across Chambers’ core specialisms. As a pupil, Nia worked on a wide range of contentious and non-contentious matters, including property, private client, offshore and international, and professional negligence.
Nia joined Chambers in March 2026, after successfully completing pupillage under the supervision of Harry Martin, Michael Walsh KC and Jonathan Upton KC.
Nia studied English at Clare College, Cambridge, graduating with double-first class honours and several university prizes. She then pursued postgraduate study at Oxford before completing the GDL and Bar Course at BPP, funded by scholarships from Gray’s Inn
Call: 2024
Serle Court is widely recognised as a leading set for charities, with members providing specialist advice and advocacy across all levels of seniority.
Serle Court members regularly advise in very high value and complex family financial remedy cases.
Serle Court is widely recognised in the UK and internationally, as a leading set for contentious and non-contentious probate, wills and estates matters.
Serle Court is a go-to set for big-ticket trust litigation.
Chambers Global 2025
One of the leading chambers for international trust matters, especially high-value and complex trusts.
Legal 500 2025
A leading set for trusts and private wealth mandates, Serle Court is commended for its ‘deep bench of talented barristers.
Legal 500 2026
Serle Court is the go-to set for heavyweight trust litigation. Its barristers are at the top of the tree in this area, and are supported by standout juniors
Chambers Global 2026
The go-to set for all high-value trusts work.
Legal 500 2024
Excellent in the trusts and probate field.
Legal 500
Serle Court members James Weale KC, Harry Martin and Claudia Barry will be in Istanbul from 7 – 9 October for the 41st TransTrusts Conference. Our Practice Director Nick Hockney will accompany our barristers.
Serle Court is pleased to sponsor the upcoming Transcontinental Trusts: Bermuda Conference held by Informa Connect.
Serle Court is pleased to sponsor the upcoming Junior Litigators’ Forum conference from ConTrA and Informa Connect. Returning for the 3rd edition of this ‘Staycation’ focused on trusts and estate issues, the conference will take place from 4 to 5 June 2026 in Bristol.
Constance McDonnell KC will be speaking at the upcoming ThoughtLeaders4 HNW Divorce 'Trusts in Divorce: The 3rd […]
LEADING SET:
UK Bar 2026
WINNER:
MENA Awards 2026 - English Bar in the Middle East: Commercial Set of the Year
WINNER:
Best Chambers for Work / Life Balance 2026
SHORTLISTED:
UK Bar Awards 2025 - Chancery Set of the Year
SHORTLISTED:
Bar Awards 2025 - Chancery Set of the Year
SHORTLISTED:
Chambers of the Year Award 2025
WINNER:
Bar Awards 2024 - Chancery Set of the Year
WINNER:
Middle East Awards 2024 - Middle East-Wide Dispute Resolution: Leading UK Barristers' Set
SHORTLISTED:
Bar Awards 2024 - Intellectual Property Set of the Year
SHORTLISTED:
Bar Awards 2024 - Commercial Litigation Set of the Year
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Email: clerks@serlecourt.co.uk
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