Experience - Private Wealth disputes
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UHNW family disputes
Helena is the trusted adviser to children of a high-profile deceased UHNW individual, in relation to various aspects of their long running dispute with their father (who died in late 2022). The dispute between Helena’s clients and their father has been the subject of significant media attention, and our work on this matter has required a complex and technical strategy to outsmart a range of carefully drafted legal restrictions.
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Oil trading magnate
Worked with our client to prepare a mistake application in Jersey to set aside the adverse tax consequences of negligent tax advice provided by another firm when making endowments to a Jersey foundation. This involved extensive investigation into the underlying evidence, within the context of various limited authorities and novel interpretations of existing statute. Helena was successful in persuading the Court to set aside the relevant endowments and entirely eliminate the IHT liabilities. This was an exceptional outcome for our client, and a landmark victory for our team as it represents only the second ever case in the Jersey Courts which has succeeded in setting aside endowments to a Jersey foundation.
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The minor and unborn children of two trusts
Seeking the Court’s approval under the Variation of Trusts Act 1958, to an arrangement in which each Trust would be varied so that its accumulation period would be extended, in order to give the Trustees flexibility to accumulate income during the remainder of the Trust period. Helena completed the application to in an almost impossibly short timetable (a matter of weeks) in order to avoid the Trust reaching the end of its accumulation period (which would have had very significant adverse financial consequences for all beneficiaries).
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The beneficiary of an Estate in dispute
Supported our client, a disinherited family member, in a contentious probate requiring the examination of testamentary capacity (with expert evidence) and complicated issues relating to undue influence, which required advising our client in relation to the detailed cost consequences of each claim.
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Son of a dynastic UHNW family
Advising our client, one party in a significant intra-family dispute over the division of the family's wealth. We were required to issue a complex and uncommon contested rectification application in the context of a private trust. Helena was instructed on this matter due to her specialist knowledge of this highly technical area, and the breadth of other practice groups the Stephenson Harwood team can seamlessly work with to provide a full spectrum service to the client.
