Constance McDonnell KC


Year of Call: 2000 Year of Silk: 2019

“A master of her field”

Chambers & Partners HNW Guide
Portrait of Constance McDonnell KC

Practice Overview

Constance specialises in trusts and probate disputes.  She has appeared in a number of highly publicised cases, including Reeves v Drew (a probate dispute about the £100m estate of an illiterate testator). She has appeared twice in the UK Supreme Court: as Junior Counsel in the landmark case of Ilott v The Blue Cross and recently in Hirachand v Hirachand, concerning whether a CFA success fee can be recoverable as part of an award under the 1975 Act.  Constance also has an international practice.

Prior to taking Silk in 2019, Constance won the Chancery Junior of the Year award at the 2018 Chambers Bar Awards, and was recommended as a Star Individual in Chambers UK Bar Guide 2019 and High Net Worth Guide 2018.  Constance won the ‘Barrister of the Year’ Gold Award at the 2023 Citywealth Magic Circle Awards.

News & Events

  • News

    Constance McDonnell KC and Anneliese Mondschein write for PS

    In this article for PS,  the Law Society’s Private Client Section magazine, Constance McDonnell KC and Anneliese... Read More

    News

    Judgment handed down in Supreme Court Case Hirachand v Hirachand

    The Supreme Court handed down judgment this morning in Hirachand v Hirachand, holding that CFA success fees could not form... Read More

  • Events

    Junior Litigators’ Forum | 5 - 6 June

    Location: Lowry Hotel, Manchester, UK
    Read More

    Events

    ThoughtLeaders4 Private Client Contentious Trusts 2024: The 3rd Annual Summit

    Location: Central London
    Read More

  • “Constance is a brilliant advocate and is the archetypal “iron fist in a velvet glove”.

    Chambers & Partners, 2025
  • "She is not only technically outstanding but also absolutely unflappable. Constance provides robust, well-balanced advice whilst never failing to recognise the human side of the work she does."

    Chambers & Partners, 2025
  • "She has the best judgement of any barrister that I have worked with – her assessment of a case is never wrong. She is also brilliant in court, very good to deal with and super-approachable."

    Chambers & Partners, 2025
  • "Constance combines deep knowledge with an ability to get on with all client types and is a powerfully persuasive advocate. Her attention to detail is second-to-none, fully immerses herself in her cases and gives her all to every brief."

    The Legal 500, 2025

Education & Qualifications

MA in Classics, Oriel College, Oxford

Memberships

ACTAPS (Committee member)
STEP
Chancery Bar Association

VAT Number

787919845

In the Press

'MoJ changes to Will executions' BBC Radio London, 21 July 2020

'Derivative claims by beneficiaries and the interplay with Beddoe applications by personal representatives', The New Law Journal, 26 June 2020

'Wills at a Distance', STEP Journal, 19 June 2020

'DIY Danger in COVID's costly battle of wills', Daily Express, 17 June 2020

'Remote mediation: Is it the future?' Litigation Futures, 29 April 2020

'Constance McDonnell QC examines the year’s most notable 1975 Act decisions', The New Law Journal, 25 October 2019

'New rules to stop 'predators' from tricking vulnerable into marriage delayed by Brexit', The Daily Telegraph, 22 April 2019

Awards

Citywealth Magic Circle Awards

Barrister of the Year - Gold Award

Legal 500 Awards

Nominated - Private Client: Trusts and Probate Junior of the Year

Chambers UK Bar Awards

Chancery Junior of the Year

News & Events

  • News

    Constance McDonnell KC and Anneliese Mondschein write for PS

    In this article for PS,  the Law Society’s Private Client Section magazine, Constance McDonnell KC and Anneliese... Read More

    News

    Judgment handed down in Supreme Court Case Hirachand v Hirachand

    The Supreme Court handed down judgment this morning in Hirachand v Hirachand, holding that CFA success fees could not form... Read More

  • Events

    ThoughtLeaders4 Private Client Contentious Trusts 2024: The 3rd Annual Summit

    Location: Central London Read More

    Events Hub

    Serle Court Client Party 2024

    Location: Read More