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Private wealth disputes

Expert legal support to avoid, manage, and resolve high-value private wealth disputes.

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Particularly when emotions run high and substantial sums are at stake. We are adept at navigating the complexities of high-value, complex disputes for our UK and international clients including individuals, families, family offices, fiduciaries, and private wealth professionals.

Our approach is bespoke. We recognise that each dispute is distinct, requiring its own strategy, informed by its own unique circumstances – privacy often being of paramount importance. We routinely collaborate with leading law firms in key offshore jurisdictions as part of clients’ multijurisdictional, multidisciplinary teams.

We excel in novel and adaptive thinking and strive to find creative solutions – particularly to resolve issues outside the courtroom. Alternative, confidential, methods of dispute resolution we advocate include arbitration, round table meetings and expert determination. We prepare clients thoroughly for – and advocate your position in – mediation (among other forms of alternative dispute resolution). If litigation is inescapable, our robust strategies help expedite satisfactory resolutions.

Our contentious and advisory experts’ unparalleled dispute resolution experience and expertise covers dispute relates to trusts and estates, tax, real estate, immigration matters, family businesses, art and antiquities, and Court of Protection matters.

Services

Asset tracing, recovery, injunctions and freezing orders

Locating and securing assets through legal orders to prevent dissipation.

Art and antiquities

Dealing with issues over title, ownership and provenance.

Court of protection

Legal decisions for individuals lacking mental capacity.

Crypto assets

Navigating disputes in digital currency and asset ownership.

Defamation and reputation management

Safeguarding personal and professional reputations against false claims

Family businesses

Resolving disputes and succession planning for family-run enterprises.

Legal guidance through family disputes and trust matters.

Fraud

Addressing and rectifying fraudulent activities affecting personal wealth.

Intellectual property

Protecting creative and intellectual property rights.

Landed estates

Managing disputes related to large landholdings and estates.

Partnerships

Resolving conflicts within business partnerships.

Professional negligence

Legal recourse across all private wealth advisory specialisms for professional advice that falls below standards.

Tax

Advising on disputes arising from taxation matters.

Trusts, estates and probate

Managing disputes in trust and estate administration.

UK commercial and residential real estate

Dispute resolution in property investments and transactions.

Internal disputes within companies

Addressing internal disputes within companies like unfair prejudice petitions, company shareholder and director actions.

Examples of our work

A valuable south Oxfordshire estate

Rectifying a deed of appointment, correcting an error that favoured a distant relative over the intended grandson.

Multiple estate claims

Assisting a court-appointed administrator in resolving the claims, securing costs protection, and negotiating settlements to progress estate administration.

Breach of trust claim

Managing a cross-jurisdictional breach of trust claim involving asset tracing and recovery, including mismanaged trust assets and cryptocurrency distribution.

An UHNWI’s family office

Successfully advising on a contested Central London investment property rent review, securing a favourable lease re-gear and covenant breach resolution.

Farming partnership

Resolving a contentious farming partnership dissolution involving over 1,000 acres, complex multi-party interests, and intricate ownership and tax issues.

Buyout and partnership wind-up

Negotiating a buyout and partnership wind-up for siblings, securing future development interests through complex multi-transfer and overage agreements.

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What others say

“The Burges Salmon contentious trusts and probate practice are absolutely top-tier – I would (and do) recommend them as able to match the very top London firms. They are particularly skilled at acting in complicated, high-value trusts disputes and bringing them to a successful resolution. They deserve a much higher profile in the market than they currently have.”

Legal 500 UK 2024

“They are very capable of handling complex, cross-border matters and explain the outcomes in an understandable manner. The team provided excellent service and delivery.”

Chambers UK 2024

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