Laura qualified in 2008 and is ranked as an Associate to Watch in the Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Guide 2023, being described as “a brilliant lawyer”. She is also named as a Key Lawyer in the Legal 500 (2023) and is praised for her calm and considered approach to her work.
Laura deals with disputes relating to Wills, Trusts, and Estates, with a focus on bringing and defending claims for reasonable financial provision pursuant to the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. She also has expertise in bringing and defending claims regarding the validity of Wills; resolving disputes between executors and trustees, including seeking their removal; claims relating to professional negligence in Will preparation or Estate administration and concerning the interpretation; and rectification of Wills and Trusts. Laura also has some more niche experience in Presumption of Death Act 2013 applications and donatio mortis causa claims.
Laura is a full member of Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), the global professional association for those advising in private client work. She has also completed the ACTAPS education course for contentious trusts and probate practitioners and is a member of ConTra, the Contentious Trusts Association.
Professional highlights:
- Acting for the defendant in Proles v Kohli [2018] EWHC 767 (Ch) in the preliminary issue relating to the domicile of the deceased for the purposes of the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.
- Acting for the claimant in the pre action stages of Kunicki v Hayward [2016] EWHC 3199 (Ch) regarding Will validity.
- Successfully seeking an executor’s removal following his failure to complete an Estate administration for more than 10 years.
- Acting for a litigation friend and achieving a settlement in an Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 claim by an adult child of the deceased which required the court’s approval on behalf of the minor residuary beneficiary.
- Achieving a settlement in an Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 claim for an adult child claimant with a financial need based on medical issues.
- Acting for a charity in defending an Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 claim being made by a person maintained by the deceased and achieving an early settlement; acting for trustees in defending an Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 claim being made against the Estate by the spouse of deceased and achieving an early settlement in order to protect as much of the Estate as possible for the intended beneficiaries of the Trust being the deceased’s minor children through mediation, achieving a settlement of a Will validity claim.
- Acting in a dispute relating to the interpretation of a trust deed.