Protecting your interests with integrated, strategic legal solutions.
A dispute over an inheritance is more than a legal problem. It’s a deeply personal situation that can affect your family relationships, your financial security, and your future.
Losing a loved one is difficult enough without the added strain of a dispute over their estate. Inheritance and will disputes often arise from complex family dynamics, unclear intentions, or concerns about how a estate is being administered. These situations are frequently emotionally charged and can escalate quickly without the right advice. We understand that you are facing more than just a legal hurdle; you are navigating a situation that impacts your most important relationships and financial wellbeing.
At Ashfords, we don’t just see a legal case; we see your entire picture. Our specialist inheritance disputes solicitors take the time to understand your wider circumstances and objectives, providing clear, strategic advice that protects both your legal position and your long-term interests. We act for clients across England and Wales on complex, high-value and sensitive inheritance disputes. We understand how high-stakes these disputes can be for you and your family and are uniquely well-placed to support you in resolving them. Ashfords are able to offer full-service support across tax, corporate, real estate and family law, to ensure that every case is resolved holistically.
Our Private Wealth Disputes team is consistently ranked in the top tier by independent legal directories - Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500. Team members are full members of the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS) and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), reflecting deep technical expertise in contentious probate and trust disputes.
We act for beneficiaries, executors and trustees, providing clear, decisive advice on all aspects of will and inheritance disputes, including:
Challenging the validity of a will: Claims based on lack of capacity, undue influence, lack of knowledge and approval, fraud or improper execution.
Inheritance Act Claims: Securing reasonable financial provision for spouses, civil partners, children, cohabitees, and other dependants who have been unfairly left out of a will or not provided for on an intestacy, under the Ineritance (provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975
Executor and administrator disputes: Advising on the removal or substitution of executors and holding them to account for misconduct or delays.
Proprietary estoppel claims: Enforcing promises made in relation to property, farm and family businesses.
Interpreting wills and trusts: Resolving uncertainty, ambiguity or disputes over the meaning of a will or trust document.
Whether you are bringing a claim or defending one, we provide clear, decisive guidance at every stage.
Inheritance disputes are rarely confined to a single area of law. They frequently intersect with complex issues involving tax, business succession, property, and family law. A narrow or siloed approach can resolve one problem while creating others.
This is why our Private Wealth Disputes team operates as a fully integrated unit with Ashfords’ leading specialists in Tax, Corporate, Real Estate, and Family Law. This seamless collaboration ensures that the advice you receive is not only legally robust, but strategically aligned with your wider financial, commercial and family objectives. We deliver comprehensive solutions that protect your assets, align with your long-term objectives and avoid unintended consequences.
Our team is trusted to handle some of the most complex inheritance disputes in the UK, including:
Strategic multi-front estate litigation: Acting for residuary beneficiaries in a £25m+ estate under maladministration for over 15 years, we secured removal of fraudulent executors and are coordinating multiple High Court proceedings to recover misappropriated assets, including claims against law firm partners for dishonest assistance in the fraud.
Protecting testamentary wishes: Defended a multi-million £ estate through a seven-day High Court trial, successfully defeating claims challenging testamentary capacity and proprietary estoppel over a family farm, while securing a counterclaim victory that obtained a declaration of unlawful occupation and an order for occupational rent.
Multi-jurisdictional estate resolution: Acting for executors of a multi-million £ estate involving complex cross-border disputes over beneficial interests in jointly held financial products across multiple jurisdictions, involving litigation in the High Court and Bahrain Court of Appeal.
If you are facing a dispute over a will or inheritance, speak to our inheritance disputes team for a confidential, no-obligation discussion. We will help you understand your position and outline the clear steps you can take to protect your interests.
Contact one of our specialists directly or get in touch via our enquiry form for a confidential discussion. You can also contact the team on freephone 0800 0931336, or by email at willdisputes@ashfords.co.uk.
Contact
Kerry Morgan-Gould
Partner and Head of Trusts & Estates
+44 (0)1392 334154 k.morgan-gould@ashfords.co.uk View more
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