About Amanda
Chambers and Partners HNW (2018) independent directory describe Amanda as a”top lawyer in the field, and very easy and sensible to work with.” Amanda is an experienced litigator who leads the firm’s Contested Wills, Trusts, and Inheritance Disputes team. An independent source describes that Amanda “is a real star in this area” and comments that clients “can be immediately confident she will deal with things in an efficient and confident manner; she gets great results for her clients.”
In Chambers and Partners UK (2017), an independent source commented: “She is at the top of her game. She is very experienced and diligent, and she really brings her wealth of experience to bear on the cases. She provides an excellent service to clients. She is very pragmatic and won’t waste people’s time and money on unnecessary claims. She’s good at settling pragmatic solutions.” An independent source describes Amanda as “very approachable and understanding,” adding: “I couldn’t recommend her highly enough. She is very thorough with her investigations and covers all angles.”
The Legal 500 UK 2017 says Amanda and her team “combines a ‘proactive approach in seeking to resolve disputes’ with ‘a high level of expertise’. The practice has strong expertise in handling will validity claims, trustee disputes, applications to the Court of Protection in mental capacity matters and Inheritance Act claims”. Amanda is “an extremely competent and dedicated lawyer who adopts a pragmatic approach to achieve great outcomes for her clients.” Amanda is “unflappable” in Court of Protection applications involving mental capacity issues, as well as Inheritance Act, tax and professional negligence matters.
The Legal 500 also recognise Amanda’s work in inheritance disputes in farming families and the agricultural community, describing her as an “excellent lawyer with an incredible breadth of knowledge”.
Amanda’s expertise is considerable and includes advising and supporting clients through;
- Will disputes – contesting and defending Wills
- trust disputes – contesting and defending trusts
- estate disputes
- advising farming families in inheritance disputes
- advising charities in inheritance disputes
- tax disputes
- negligence actions against professionals, particularly relating to tax advisers
- applications to the Court of Protection.
Amanda is regularly invited to lecture to lawyers on inheritance and trust law.
Cases:
Barton Case
Amanda recently defended the families of two victims in the high profile Barton case which was extensively covered in the press. David Barton, a care home owner conned vulnerable elderly residents in excess of £4million by grooming them and alienating them against their friends and families. Barton persuaded six residents to entrust him with power of attorney and appointed himself executor of their wills, taking money from their bank accounts. Barton was found guilty and jailed for 21 years. You can read more about the case in press coverage below:
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/crooked-care-home-owner-claimed-14898795
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5950915/Care-home-boss-stole-millions-residents-spent-money-luxury-cars-jailed.html
Hart v Burbidge
Amanda successfully defended the Hart brothers in the recent high-profile case which was widely reported and debated on in the legal press. Susan Burbidge lost her appeal against the England and Wales High Court’s finding that she unduly influenced her mother Phyllis Hart to give her £700,000. The Court of Appeal confirmed that Mrs Burbidge and her husband must compensate her brothers Ken and Paul Hart for the loss of their inheritance due to the adeemed gifts (Hart v Burbidge, 2014 EWCA Civ 992).
Memberships :
The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)
The Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS)
