George Vare

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George Vare has a thriving practice spanning the full breadth of work undertaken in Chambers. George has particular experience in contentious trusts litigation, probate disputes, claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, company and shareholder disputes, and civil fraud work.

George has built a strong unled practice. He regularly advises and acts for his clients as sole counsel in both the High Court and County Court. George equally enjoys working as part of a larger counsel team, and is or has been junior counsel in a number of heavy and valuable cases. He has experience acting with lawyers working across multiple jurisdictions.

George has acted for an array of clients, from HNW individuals, directors, and beneficiaries to professional trustees, and companies. George advises and represents his clients at every stage of litigation, advancing their case vigorously from initial pleadings through to trial and enforcement. He also relishes the challenge of helping his clients achieve a consensual resolution of their differences with the opposing parties, and is a great believer in mediation. Many of George’s cases involve delicate family dynamics, or other sensitive issues, which George is adept at navigating.

George read History at the University of Cambridge, graduating with a ﬁrst-class degree whilst receiving several awards and scholarships. He undertook the GDL at City Law School where he was awarded a Distinction (ranking ﬁfth in his year), before completing the BPTC in 2020 (graded Outstanding) having been awarded a Major Scholarship and Duke of Edinburgh Entrance Award by Inner Temple.

Areas of Expertise

Trusts & Probate

George has extensive experience across a range of work in the Private Client, Trusts and Probate sphere, having represented clients led and unled, both offshore and domestically. George’s recent instructions include acting in contentious probate claims, claims under the 1975 Act, claims alleging breach of trust, rectification / recission claims, claims for an account, and applications to remove and/or appoint personal representatives and trustees.

Recent Cases

Representation of Q Limited – Acting (led by Tim Collingwood KC) for the trustee of a discretionary Jersey trust holding very valuable assets in proceedings in the Royal Court of Jersey. [2024] JRC 259 – judgment concerning the correct procedural route, following issue of a blessing application, for proceedings to challenge a trustee’s decision on grounds of fraud on a power and that no reasonable trustee could have made the decision.
Re Wright Discretionary Trust – Acting for the settlors of a discretionary trust seeking rescission/rectification on the grounds of mistake, including by their advisers mistakenly including all, rather than part, of a title of agricultural land and creating a complicated web of partnership holdings.
Lewis v Warren – Acted for the Claimant, the partner of the deceased, in a claim under the 1975 Act, who receives nothing under the intestacy rules from his c.£3m estate. The case was successfully settled in January 2026.
Horowitz v Ramsay – Acted (led by Constance McDonnell KC) for the Defendant in a claim challenging the validity of a will on the grounds of undue influence, fraudulent calumny, and want of knowledge and approval. The Claimants also sought to bring claims challenging lifetime gifts and seeking an account. The case successfully settled at mediation in December 2025.
Appleton v Noel et al – Acted for the Respondents in successfully resisting an application to strike out part of their claim on the basis of standing. The case concerned a transfer valued at circa £2.6m which was contested by reason of want of capacity, undue influence, and the presumption of double portions.
Leonard v Leonard [2024] EWHC 321 (Ch), and (costs judgment) [2024] EWHC 979 (Ch); [2024] Costs L.R. 723 – Acted (led by Constance McDonnell KC) for the successful claimants in their claim to set aside their father’s purported last will on the grounds of lack of capacity and want of knowledge and approval. After a 12-day trial in the Chancery Division, Mrs Justice Joanna Smith DBE upheld the Claimants’ claims – the judgment provides useful summaries of the various legal tests to be applied. The Costs judgment authoritatively confirmed that probate claims are not excluded from the ambit of CPR Pt 36, and provided guidance on the ‘probate exceptions’ to the usual costs order.
Geneva Trust Company SA v D et al – Acted as sole English counsel in Jersey, in an action concerning the assessment of a trustee’s fees on an Alhamrani assessment which went to the Jersey Court of Appeal on the question of what the approach of the Royal Court should be on an appeal from a decision of the Judicial Greffier.
Re Watson – Acted in respect of a Part 8 claim concerning the proper construction of a Will and/or its rectification, brought in the High Court by the professional executors of an estate worth several million pounds.

International

George is regularly instructed in relation to a wide range of offshore disputes, including trusts litigation and in commercial or company claims with an offshore element. George has particular experience assisting advocates in appearances before the Royal Courts of Jersey and Guernsey, and in some of the various offshore jurisdictions in the Caribbean.

Recent Cases

Representation of Q Limited – Acting (led by Tim Collingwood KC) for the trustee of a discretionary Jersey trust holding very valuable assets in proceedings in the Royal Court of Jersey [2024] JRC 259 – judgment concerning the correct procedural route, following issue of a blessing application, for proceedings to challenge a trustee’s decision on grounds of fraud on a power and that no reasonable trustee could have made the decision.
Geneva Trust Company SA v D – Acted as sole English counsel in Jersey, in an action concerning the assessment of a trustee’s fees on an ‘Alhamrani assessment’ which went to the Jersey Court of Appeal on the question of what the approach of the Royal Court should be on an appeal from a decision of the Judicial Greffier.
Acted (led by Thomas Fletcher) in advising the Trustee of a Jersey trust in relation to breach of trust and fraud claims brought following related proceedings in the Isle of Man, raising complex factual and legal issues that arise from the allegations that stretch back to the Trust’s establishment, several decades ago.
Assisted (led by Tim Collingwood KC and Matthew Morrison KC) the Claimant in an unfair prejudice claim in the BVI alleging breach of fiduciary and other duties in the conduct of the affairs of a very valuable company.
CLO Holdco Ltd v Highland Clo Funding Ltd [2023] GRC061 – Acted as sole English counsel for the Plaintiff in an unfair prejudice petition brought in Guernsey. The judgment contributes to the evolving jurisprudence on the extent to which a ‘good faith clause’ imposes obligations on the Defendant to act in a ‘commercially acceptable’ manner, and what this means in practice.
Acted as sole English counsel for the Plaintiff in respect of an Alhamrani assessment brought in Guernsey against professional trustees, in a claim worth in excess of £500k. The case settled at mediation in January 2023.
Assisted (as a pupil) Dan McCourt Fritz KC in a two-week appeal to the Bahamian Supreme Court against an arbitral award made in relation to a Bahamian family Trust worth over £100m, on issues of law and procedure including the limit of the Court’s inherent jurisdiction to supervise trusts in an arbitration context.

Company

George regularly acts for shareholders, directors, and companies in a variety of company disputes, from s.994 petitions, derivative claims, and claims for breach of directors’ duties, through to advising on a director/shareholders’ rights to access documentation, and applications to rectify the register.

Recent Cases

Re Attert Holdings S.A.R.L. – Acting (led by Lance Ashworth KC) for the Luxembourg company in a claim brought to wind it up as an unregistered, foreign, company under s.221(5)(c) of the Insolvency Act 1986, on the basis of alleged functional deadlock.
Griffiths v Griffiths – Acted (led by Thomas Elias) for the principal respondent to two conjoined s.994 petitions in respect of the running of a substantial family business brought by one sibling against another alleging (inter alia) that the respondent had been secretly extracting money from the companies, by way of excessive service fees. The value of the shares in issue was several £10ms. The case settled in June 2025, on the first day of a three-week High Court trial.
Assisted (led by Tim Collingwood KC and Matthew Morrison KC) the Claimant in an unfair prejudice claim in the BVI alleging breach of fiduciary and other duties in the conduct of the affairs of a very valuable company, including through allegedly transferring business and opportunities away for no or inadequate value.
Acted as sole counsel in an application to rectify the register under s.1096 of the Companies Act 2006.
CLO Holdco Ltd v Highland Clo Funding Ltd [2023] GRC061 – Acted as sole English counsel for the Plaintiff in an unfair prejudice petition brought in Guernsey. The judgment contributes to the evolving jurisprudence on the extent to which a ‘good faith clause’ imposes obligations on the Defendant to act in a ‘commercially acceptable’ manner, and what this means in practice.
Zedra Trust (Jersey) v The Hut Group Ltd [2021] EWCA Civ 904 – Assisted (as a pupil) Lance Ashworth KC and Dan McCourt Fritz in a successful appeal to the Court of Appeal on the question of the extent of the court’s jurisdiction under s. 996 Companies Act 2006, and the necessary particularisation required for pleading allegations of bad faith in this context.
Broadcasting Investment Group Ltd v Smith [2021] EWCA Civ 912 – Assisted (as a pupil) Dan McCourt Fritz KC in a successful appeal to the Court of Appeal on the issue of the rule against reﬂective loss and its interrelation with the Contract (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 and claims for speciﬁc performance.

Commercial Litigation & Civil Fraud

George is instructed on a range of commercial matters, most of which include allegations of fraud or dishonesty. Many of George’s commercial cases have a cross-disciplinary aspect to them, involving, for example, allegations of breach of directors’ duties or breach of trust.

Recent Cases

Acted for the First Respondent in successfully discharging an ex parte freezing injunction at the return date in December 2025, securing an indemnity costs order against the Applicant.
YS GM MARFIN II LLC et al v Muhammad Ali Lakhani et al – Acted (led by James Weale KC) for judgment creditors seeking to enforce an English judgment, alongside international enforcement efforts, including through a CPR 71 cross examination.
Fahad Al-Rajhi v Michael Evans – Acted for a foreign judgment creditor in his action on a foreign judgment worth over $5.5m and subsequent enforcement action in England, including by way of charging orders.
Mozambique v Credit Suisse & Ors; VTBC & Ors v Mozambique – Acted (led by Jonathan Adkin KC, Zahler Bryan, and counsel from other chambers) for the Republic of Mozambique during the disclosure phase in a multi-billion claim in the Commercial Court against a number of banks and an Abu-Dhabi based shipbuilder arising out of the ‘Tuna bonds’ scandal, involving allegations of bribery and breach of fiduciary duty in the awarding of major procurement contracts. One of The Lawyer magazine’s Top 20 Cases of 2023.
Festival v Murphy & Ors – Acted (led by Lance Ashworth KC) for the Second and Fourth Defendants in a multi-million pound conspiracy claim brought by the Claimants following the collapse of the Festival Hotels Group. Despite the serious allegations of fraud and dishonesty made, the claims were successfully struck out after a 2-day hearing before Master Pester in December 2022. Also acted in subsequent non-party costs/wasted costs applications.
SPI North Limited v Swiss Post International (UK) Limited & Ors – Acted (led by David Drake) for the Defendants in a contractual dispute (now settled) in respect of various postal services, in which the Claimant claimed to have suffered damages in excess of £17m.

Property

George is regularly instructed in real property litigation. His knowledge and experience across a range of specialisms, from conspiracy claims to contentious probate, make him particularly suited to cases which have a multi-disciplinary element to them.

Recent Cases

SG Kleinwort Hambros Bank Limited v (1) Mr. Bobby Gill and (2) Mrs. Parminder Gill – Acting (led by Michael Walsh KC) for the Claimant bank in possession proceedings and a related redemption/breach of contract claim brought by the mortgagor against the bank. The case centres on the appropriateness of the bank’s actions in purporting to comply with its KYC and AML obligations.
Mary St Lofts Ltd v Frederick Cookes et al – Acting for the Applicant in an application to remove a restrictive covenant under s.84(1) of the Law of Property Act 1925, preventing the development of a barn and ex-office space into residential property. The case is listed for a three-day trial in the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) in April 2026.
Heythrop Zoological Gardens Limited v Chipperfield – Acted for the claimant in a claim against the estate of the legal owner of land allegedly held pursuant to a constructive trust/ proprietary estoppel. The matter settled in October 2024, with provision for the Claimant to apply for a limited grant under s.116 of the Senior Court Act 1981 for the purposes of the transfer of the land in question.
Festival Hotels Group Limited v Murphy et al – Acted (led by Lance Ashworth KC) for the Second and Fourth Defendants in a multi-million pound conspiracy claim brought by the Claimants following the collapse of the Festival Hotels Group, alleging the sale of a Hotel and various related assets at an undervalue. Despite the serious allegations of fraud and dishonesty made, the claims were successfully struck out after a 2-day hearing before Master Pester in December 2022.
Bannister v Bannrister – Acted as sole counsel in successfully obtaining judgment at trial in favour of the Defendant to a TOLATA claim, as well as obtaining an indemnity costs order against the Claimant.
Webster v Webster – Acted as sole counsel for the Defendant in a claim to set aside an historic transfer of a valuable property in North London for alleged undue influence. Successfully settled the claim at mediation in August 2023.

Matrimonial Finance: Trusts & Company Law

George is developing a growing practice advising and representing parties in financial remedy proceedings, where issues of company law and/or trusts arise.

Recent Cases

Acted (led by Dakis Hagen KC) for the applicant in matrimonial finance proceedings in which various properties and property-owning companies said to be held by the respondent’s mother pursuant to various purported declarations of trust were challenged on the basis of sham, s.37 MCA 1973, and/or s.423 IA 1986.
Advised a party in respect of the use of documents disclosed in matrimonial finance proceedings for collateral purposes.