Contentious Trust Lawyers | Guernsey

Expert Advice on Trust Disputes and Court Applications

Our Guernsey-based contentious trust lawyers act for all parties involved in contentious and potentially contentious trust matters both locally and internationally, including:

• Trustees (both corporate and individual)
• Beneficiaries
• Settlors
• Protectors
• Executors and administrators
• High-net-worth individuals
• Family offices; and
• Minor, Unborn and Unascertained Beneficiaries

Our lawyers have extensive experience of Guernsey trust law and have a proven track record of  being regularly instructed in many of the largest high-value, complex disputes involving offshore structures that come before the Guernsey courts (including proceedings before the Royal Court the Court of Appeal and the Privy Council). Such matters very often involve significant wealth and sensitive family dynamics.

Our Guernsey team regularly collaborates closely with:

• Onshore legal advisers and counsel
• International private client teams
• Professional fiduciaries

This joined-up, cross-border approach ensures that clients receive consistent, coordinated advice wherever their assets or interests are located.

We regularly are instructed in relation to:

• Breach of trust claims
• Fiduciary duty disputes
• Professional negligence actions
• Beneficiary disputes
• Challenges to trustee decisions
• Applications to remove trustees or fiduciaries from office
• Challenge the exericse of fiduciary powers

Our team ensures that these applications are handled efficiently and strategically, protecting our client’s position at every stage.

Other Trust Applications

Not all trust matters are adversarial. We regularly advise trustees and beneficiaries on non-hostile court applications in Guernsey. Our expertise includes:

• Applications for directions
• Blessing applications
• Variation of trusts and foundations
• Setting aside transactions on the grounds of mistake
• Rectification of trust instruments and decisions
• Ratification of acts by improperly appointed trustees

Advice on Trust Administration

Issues often arise during the administration of trusts, even before formal litigation begins. We provide practical, proactive advice on issues such as:

• Requests for disclosure of trust information
• Transfer of trusts between service providers
• Trust restructurings
• Rectification of documentation

Our aim is to resolve issues quickly and minimise escalation into formal disputes.

Please contact Todd McGuffin, Head of Disputes and Risk.