Expertise
Contentious trusts and estates
Advice and advocacy in substantial disputes concerning trustees, beneficiaries, fiduciary administration, estate assets and beneficial ownership.
Experience and approach
Alexander accepts instructions in contentious trust and estate matters involving valuable business, investment or property assets. His related High Court experience includes the restoration and replacement of trustees, offshore trust arrangements, disputed beneficial ownership and share transfers, breach of trust and fiduciary duty, tracing and proprietary remedies. Estate work is focused on substantial contested matters, particularly where the dispute overlaps with company, insolvency, fraud, property or cross-border issues.
Issues that may require specialist counsel
When this expertise may be relevant.
- A trustee, executor or other fiduciary is alleged to have misapplied assets or acted in breach of duty
- Beneficiaries dispute the ownership, management or distribution of valuable assets
- The construction or administration of a trust or estate is contested
- Trust or estate assets are held through companies, offshore structures or several jurisdictions
Selected work
- 01Breach of trust and fiduciary-duty claims
- 02Removal, replacement and restoration of trustees
- 03Beneficial-ownership and trust-construction disputes
- 04Administration of estates and contested distributions
- 05Claims involving executors and personal representatives
- 06Tracing, proprietary remedies and cross-border recovery
Representative matters
Selected experience in contentious trusts and estates.
Minks and Agilo Ltd — trustee and security application
PT-2023-000226
Sole counsel, instructed by Tees Solicitors
Alexander acted as sole counsel in linked High Court applications to restore a dissolved trustee company and replace the relevant trustee or security agent. The underlying security included a second charge over a development in Nevis valued at more than US$15 million. The matter required English company-restoration procedure to be coordinated with offshore trust, secured-lending and property considerations.
Read the matter summary →Magee v Crocker
[2024] EWHC 1723 (Ch); [2024] EWHC 2353 (Ch)
Junior counsel with Mohammed Zaman KC for the first defendant, instructed by Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
Judge: His Honour Judge Cawson KC, sitting as a Judge of the High Court (now Mr Justice Cawson)
Alexander appeared with Mohammed Zaman KC for the first defendant in a twelve-day High Court trial concerning a disputed share transfer. The proceedings involved allegations of fraudulent misrepresentation, offshore trust arrangements, pre-emption rights, estoppel, waiver and novation. The matter demonstrates experience of complex fraud litigation involving extensive witness evidence, historic documents and overlapping company, trust and contractual issues.
Read the case and Alexander's role →