The Family Business Disputes Forum 2025

Janet is a Partner in Mishcon Private and Heads up the Private Commercial Litigation group.

Her practice centres on commercial disputes for a wide variety of clients including high profile individuals, High Net Worth individuals, successful entrepreneurs, owner-managed businesses, families and family offices. The claims she works on are invariably complex, high value, usually multi-jurisdictional and often include allegations of fraud.

Janet has significant in-depth experience of director and shareholder claims and acts as a trusted advisor on wide-ranging business and partnership disputes, trusts issues and large-scale contractual matters across a wide range of sectors. She has wide experience in the issuing and defending of freezing injunctions and asset protection, as well as partnership issues and general contractual matters.

Juliet leads the dispute resolution team. With her City expertise and contacts, Juliet brings a high level of client focus and service capability to our excellent dispute resolution practice.

Juliet’s practice comprises a broad spectrum of commercial disputes, but she has particular expertise in insolvency, banking litigation, private equity and professional negligence claims. Juliet regularly handles high value litigation in specialist divisions of the High Court, often being instructed to act against or alongside major UK or international firms and has been involved, acting for the claimant, in a number of high profile cases in both the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

Juliet’s focus is on insolvency litigation, private equity and the alternative lending markets, as well as shareholder and boardroom disputes. Juliet also has extensive experience in acting for lenders and insolvency practitioners on high profile professional negligence cases.

Freddie has extensive experience advising clients in relation to divorce and separation, financial claims, nuptial agreements, cohabitation and issues relating to children. Clients value Freddie’s clear and strategic advice and his ability to handle matters sensitively and discreetly.

Freddie acts for high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals and their spouses and partners. He has a wealth of experience advising bankers, private equity professionals, landed estate owners, individuals with inherited wealth, business owners, as well as homemakers and full-time parents. Freddie has acted for a number of high-profile individuals for whom discretion is a key consideration.

Freddie has particular experience of resolving complex international financial disputes and enforcement of financial orders where one party fails to comply. He has a keen interest in cases with a Hong Kong or Far East element, having previously spent time at a top-ranked family law firm in Hong Kong on secondment.

Katie advises clients on all aspects of family law, with a particular emphasis on high net worth financial remedy proceedings on divorce.

A high proportion of her workload involves complex wealth structures both in the UK and abroad. She often acts for clients where the majority of the wealth is tied up in a family business which raises issues not only about the value of the company but also the ways in which funds can be extracted from it to buy out one spouse’s interest. She has a varied client base with backgrounds in private equity, sport, retail and technology.

Katie has a particular interest in the preparation and negotiation of pre- and post-nuptial agreements in order to seek to protect certain assets in the event of a divorce. She works closely with the Firm’s corporate and private client teams to advise entrepreneurs, landed estate families and trustees in relation to such agreements. These may also be preceded by cohabitation agreements for unmarried partners as a means of regulating each partner’s financial contribution to their relationship.

I lead the firm’s dispute resolution (business & personal), civil litigation and commercial mediation practice. I am well known for handling judicial review cases and challenging the decisions of public bodies.

The litigation I handle is complex in nature and is undertaken for companies of all sizes, owner managed businesses, educational institutions and private individuals. Many of my cases involve international issues.

I am a mediator with a success rate of over 90% in settling disputes. I am a trustee of a number of charities.

I enjoy sport, especially tennis and football, and history.

I am a partner and the Director of Legal Services for Private Client Services at Irwin Mitchell LLP.

I am based in the Leeds office but lead the teams in Leeds, Sheffield, Birmingham, London, Chichester, Manchester, Gatwick, Reading and Newcastle and look after approximately 165 people in the team. I sit on the LLP Management Board and the Client Services Leadership Group Committee.

I was until recently the Chair of the STEP SIG committee for Contentious trusts and a TEP and have recently stood down from post after 6 years. I have an advanced STEP certificate in Trust Disputes and I am a full member of ACTAPS.

Disputes involving lack of mental capacity, and those which involve the issue of undue influence, want of knowledge and approval claims regarding Wills and trusts. Claims for financial provision for all family members for both Claimants and Defendants. Handling disputes against and for beneficiaries, trustees and executors. Claims which involve breach of trust and breach of fiduciary duty. Proprietary estoppel claims and claims that involve financial abuse. Professional Negligence claims in this area of law.

Richard heads up the firm's Private Wealth and Charities Group as well as the Trust disputes practice.

Richard is based in London, but travels frequently to Hong Kong and Dubai having worked there previously. His practice is international and spans all major onshore and offshore jurisdictions globally, with a focus on Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Richard acts for ultra-high net worth individuals, their family offices, private banks and other advisers on a range of contentious and non-contentious trust and probate issues together with mental capacity, undue influence, charitable and family company matters. He also has extensive experience in acting for international banks and individuals in cases involving fraud.

Niyati Gandhi is a Partner in the firm’s dispute resolution practice.

She specialises in international and commercial law. Her practice includes international investment and commercial arbitration, complex commercial litigation and multi-jurisdictional enforcement. Niyati also regularly advises on sanctions.

Niyati has worked on several cross-border enforcements of large foreign judgments and awards in multiple jurisdictions including India, UAE, Singapore, Mauritius, US, UK and Cayman Islands. She regularly represents States, state-owned entities, sovereign wealth funds and multinational companies in significant litigations and arbitrations.

Julia Burns is a mediator and conflict coach specialising in family inheritance disputes. Julia founded Dove in the Room in 2019 having been a contentious trusts and probate solicitor since 2005. Julia is the only mediator in the UK with the CEDR private client mediation qualification and is on CEDR’s panel of mediators. Julia is ranked in Legal 500 and is as a leading Trusts Mediator in Chambers & Partners HNW.

Julia was shortlisted for the “Civil and Commercial Mediator of the Year” award at the National Mediation Awards in 2022.

As a conflict coach, Julia also coaches family members involved in family conflict either as a collective group or 1-2-1.  Julia is a Consultant Solicitor at Merali Beedle in London. Julia is ACTAPS qualified, a STEP Affiliate Member and has just finished a 5-year term as a committee member of the Contentious Trusts Association (ConTrA).  

Jane is a family law solicitor with over 25 years of experience who specialises in complex finance and children matters. Her experience includes arrangements for children where there is high conflict, parental alienation, UK and international relocation and UK and international surrogacy cases.

Jane also has considerable experience advising on the financial implications that arise out of separation, particularly in cases involving businesses and trusts.

Laura Hasson advises a broad range of clients on complex commercial, financial and civil fraud matters and has significant trial experience.

Laura's disputes experience involves advising on high value and complex commercial matters, often involving multiple jurisdictions. Laura has particular expertise in trust litigation and is one of the key members of the private wealth and trusts disputes team.

Andrew specialises in corporate advice and transactional work for a wide variety of public and private companies, including family businesses. Many of his clients are in the financial services (including investment trusts) and property sectors. He is also particularly interested in 'family' and 'owner-managed' businesses, and is head of the firm’s Family Business Group. Andrew is also joint head of our Corporate Governance team.

Andrew has been listed as a ­­top recommended lawyer within the Legal Directory & Hommes d'Affaires Lawyer category in The Spear’s 500 2021.

Andrew is admitted to practise in England and Wales. 

Rupert Ticehurst is head of dispute resolution at Maurice Turnor Gardner. He joined Maurice Turnor Gardner LLP in January 2019 and heads the firm’s Dispute Resolution team. His practice covers trust, probate and commercial litigation as well as private client advisory work. 

James is a very experienced insolvency and restructuring lawyer with over 34 years’ expertise in the ‘insolvency industry’. He has advised stakeholders from all aspects of insolvency — from banks, insolvency practitioners and suppliers, to victims of financial misfeasance and directors with serious financial problems. Over the last 8 years James has had a particular focus on advising SMEs, directors and individuals in proceedings against banks, insolvency practitioners and The Insolvency Service. Since Insolvency Law is so varied, James also has experience of advising businesses on their corporate set up, financing, structure, acquisitions and protecting assets. In addition, he advises on issues relating to contractual disputes, litigation, intellectual property and shareholder disputes. James also advises a number of businesses generally relating to corporate and commercial matters.

Marcus Dearle is senior partner of specialist family law boutique law firm, Miles Preston, in London, and a 26-year veteran of Withers in London and Hong Kong. He spearheaded the launch of Withers’ family law team in Hong Kong and was office managing director of Withers’ Singapore and Hong Kong offices. He has over 34 years of experience acting in complex domestic and international family law cases.

In addition to being admitted in England & Wales, he uniquely practises Hong Kong family law from London. He is also admitted, but not practising in, the BVI.

Marcus is recognised as a leading trusts and divorce litigation practitioner advising HNW and UHNW clients in the ALM | LAW.COM Private Client Global Elite directory: the directory is entirely reliant on peer nominations.

He is the immediate past Chair of the International Bar Association, Family Law Committee, and a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers.

Marcus acted for the corporate trustee of an offshore Guernsey trust in a major and complex divorce and trust case which went to trial in the High Court in London in 2001, and then to the Court of Appeal in 2008: Judge v Judge [2008] EWCA Civ 1458. Lord Justice Wilson in the Court of Appeal found that the trustee had, ‘adopted a stance not only properly defensive of the interests of the trust, but also both neutral as between the husband and the wife and essentially helpful to the court.’

During the 11 years he was based in Hong Kong Marcus led the family law teams acting in a number of groundbreaking international family law cases that went to the Hong Kong Court of Appeal and/or Court of Final Appeal, including the Florence Tsang case TCWF v LKKS [2014] HKEC 1593 (the largest Hong Kong divorce case), and the landmark divorce and trust, Court of Final Appeal, case of Otto Poon [2014] HKEC 1174, when he acted for the professional trustee, HSBC International Trustee Limited – a case involving a Jersey trust which the Financial Times reported as having ‘Rattled the Trust Industry’ in Hong Kong.

He also acted successfully for the financially stronger US husband in LCYP v JEK [2019] HKCFI 1588, which is now the leading PNA case in Hong Kong.

He has very recently successfully represented Sir Frederick Barclay in defending him against three sets of committal proceedings in the London High Court: see Barclay v Barclay [2022] EWHC 2026 and Barclay v Barclay [2023] EWFC 164.

He wrote the chapter on Divorce and Trusts in Sweet & Maxwell’s 2010 publication ‘Family Law and Practice in Hong Kong’ and in the 2nd (2014) and 3rd (2018) editions.

He lectures widely at international conferences and has been interviewed on international TV news networks, including by the BBC and CNN. He is a regular contributor to the international press and specialist publications, including the London Times, Family Law, International Family Law Journal and STEP Journal.

He was shortlisted as International Family Lawyer of the Year at the Lexis Nexis Family Law Awards 2018.

An experienced litigator and solicitor-advocate, Simon specialises in cross-border commercial litigation & arbitration, insolvency & company disputes, sports law, and public law. He also has expertise in construction disputes; regulatory disputes, often acting for professionals & directors; and reputational risk.

With significant experience acting for a range of household names, Simon provides practical and commercially focused advice.

Simon has conducted litigation in most civil divisions of the English High Court; in the Court of Appeal & the Supreme Court; and has gained significant experience in domestic, international, and industry-specific arbitrations. He deals with disputes across all commercial sectors, and has particular experience in environmental energy, construction/insurance, technology, pharmaceutical, and commercial sport & media.

Prior to joining B P Collins LLP, Simon was in-house counsel for a global FTSE 30 ‘fast moving consumer goods’ company, focusing on commercial and regulatory disputes.

He conducts a variety of contentious and non-contentious insolvency and restructuring matters, and wider business critical litigation. He acts on behalf of lenders, liquidators, administrators, LPA receivers, trustees in bankruptcy, companies, purchasers of distressed assets, creditors and other stakeholders, shareholders, members of limited liability partnerships (LLPs) and directors.

Ed specialises in bringing and defending claims brought by office holders including transactions at an under value, voidable preferences, wrongful and fraudulent trading, knowing receipt and dishonest assistance, and breach of duty (including allegations of fraud and international asset tracing) as well as acting for creditors in appointing, or applying to court for the appointment of, administrators and liquidators. He also has significant experience in civil fraud, dishonesty and misrepresentation proceedings and investigations, including the use of freezing and other targeted injunctions.

Business critical litigation includes shareholder disputes, minority shareholder petitions, guarantee claims, professional negligence claims (valuers, solicitors, accountants, tax advisers), earnout / deferred consideration and warranty disputes, and contract/tortious disputes.

Ed also acts as an independent Supervising Solicitor overseeing search (and seizure) orders obtained in civil proceedings.

Clementine is a Legal Director specialising in contentious trusts and estates and commercial litigation.

She is recommended in both fields by The Legal 500 2024.

Clementine is particularly experienced in matters involving complex corporate / trust structures, company law issues and multi-jurisdictional elements, having begun her career as a corporate solicitor specialising in private equity and also spent time on secondment at the investment funds Oaktree Capital and Hambro Perks.

Clementine trained and qualified at Weil Gotshal & Manges, practising there and subsequently at Farrer & Co before joining Payne Hicks Beach in 2022.

She read English at Cambridge before completing the GDL and LPC (both with Distinction) and also has Higher Rights of Audience.