About
Hunters is known for combining top-class legal advice with exceptional, partner-led, personal service. We are consistently ranked as one of London’s top firms, serving a largely HNW client base of private individuals, trusts, landed estates, businesses, and charities. Situated in the heart of legal London, we offer a range of specialist inter-linking services which allow us to meet our clients’ legal needs, whether that be for wealth management, tax and estate planning, trust affairs, divorce and relationship breakdown, nuptial agreements, residential and commercial property, business services, philanthropy or litigation. Hunters’ partners are known for their approachability and work together to provide an efficient and integrated service. The firm has practised from its seventeenth century premises in Lincoln’s Inn for nearly 300 years, a mark of the firm’s stability and permanence. This continuity is reflected in the lasting service given to clients, old and new: a partner is personally responsible for every client and this relationship, often built up over many years and sometimes spanning multiple generations, is the bedrock of the practice. - Main areas of practice Private client: The firm is best known for its long-standing expertise in acting for individuals, families and trustees. The private client department advises on all aspects of tax, trusts and succession planning for clients in the UK and further afield. The team has considerable experience in the administration of complex estates (often with an international element) and Court of Protection work. The firm also has an extensive landed estates practice, some of which are extremely high value and are held through complex structures involving partnerships, companies and trusts. Family: Our family team act for largely HNW clients on the full range of issues arising on relationship inception and breakdown. We offer particular expertise on complex high value financial claims on divorce, as well as wealth protection through nuptial agreements. Our team are also experienced in advising on child arrangements and issues arising in cohabiting relationships. Property: The growing property department has a dual function. They support clients and colleagues in the private client, family and business services teams when, inevitably and regularly, property matters arise in those realms. Yet the department has a substantial independent practice handling all aspects of residential and commercial conveyancing, and landlord and tenant matters, relating to homes, urban estates, investments, development, agriculture, rural property and landed estates. They also handle a wide range of secured lending and banking security work. Hunters is CQS accredited. Business: Our experienced business services team acts for foreign and domestic investors, companies, partnerships and entrepreneurs. The team has particular expertise in assisting the firm’s private clients with the corporate and commercial elements and business interests of their sophisticated trust and close family structures. We advise clients from numerous jurisdictions in relation to their UK activities, corporate transactions, day to day operational issues and regulatory legal requirements, including employment law, and commercial contracting. We act for clients at all stages of their business lifecycle from start-up to listing and beyond. The team’s extensive international experience positions Hunters perfectly to advise domestic and foreign clients on their cross-border activities and the continuing challenges presented by Brexit and the pandemic. Our clients operate in most economic business sectors with particular strengths in intellectual property and technology, FMCG, foreign direct investment and art and cultural heritage. As well as giving corporate and commercial advice the team regularly assists clients with fundraising, corporate finance and investment agreements, business acquisition and disposal, stakeholder relations and corporate governance. Art and cultural property: The department shares its clients’ passion for art and is recognised as a leader in the field, bringing its lawyers’ experience and expertise to bear when clients want to transition art to the next generation, buy or sell artworks, or are involved in disputes in both the UK and international art markets. The team provides effective, discrete advice to individuals, businesses, trusts, landed estates and charities, preserving and protecting its clients’ interests and artworks. Charity: The firm has a well-established practice and reputation in charity law work, providing discreet and pragmatic advice to an eclectic mix of charities, social enterprises and other not-for-profit organisations including trade unions and international NGOs. The practice has been further strengthened in 2021 by the arrival of Paul Ridout, who brings with him over 20 years’ experience of advising faith-based organisations and charities in cultural/heritage, medical and conservation fields. The Charities group at Hunters covers everything from the formation of charities, governance and regulatory advice through to mergers and safeguarding support, and offers charity clients a multidisciplinary service that includes a full range of property, legacy and philanthropy, litigation, commercial and employment law services. Dispute resolution: Hunters acts for clients in resolving disputes across a broad range of civil matters, most notably contentious trust and probate, where clients include trustees, beneficiaries, executors and other interested parties. Much of the department’s work concerns complex, high-value cross-border and multi-jurisdictional disputes for UK and overseas clients, often arising from relationship generated trust and Inheritance Act disputes. Members of the team use a combination of negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and where necessary, court action to achieve the best possible outcomes for their clients. The team also regularly act in disputes relating to property, professional negligence, contracts, business relationships and intellectual property. ### Languages - French - German - Spanish - Italian - Portuguese - Japanese ### Memberships - Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP) - Resolution - Agricultural Law Association - International Bar Association (IBA) - Association of European Lawyers (AEA) - Justinian Lawyers - The Law Society - European Circuit - Member of the Professional Advisors to the International Art Market (PAIAM) ### Staffing Figures - 23 Number of UK partners - 38 Number of other UK fee-earners
Office locations
London
London
Hunters Law LLP 9 New Square Lincoln's Inn London WC2A 3QN
Practice areas
Lawyers in this office
Amy Rowe
Partner and leading expert in both domestic and international family law. Amy is a well-seasoned lawyer specialising in complex child-related cases with serious welfare considerations, including high-conflict disputes, parental alienation, domestic abuse, coercive and controlling behaviour, safeguarding issues, and medical treatment. · Family Law
Amy Scollan
Partner with significant experience in divorce and finance cases which often involve complex trust and company arrangements with an international dimension. Amy is regularly instructed to deal with cases of exceptionally high value and complexity, often for high-profile individuals. In addition, she has experience in unusual Children Act work, such as cases where the courts’ inherent jurisdiction is invoked, and where guardians are appointed. She also litigates property disputes between unmarried couples and prepares pre and post nuptial agreements. · Family
Charlotte Simm
Partner in private client department. Charlotte's areas of work include: estate, tax and succession planning including advice as to appropriate structures to hold and pass on wealth, mitigation of capital taxation, planned giving strategies, creation, reorganisation and termination of trusts, wills, administration of estates, post-death planning, powers of attorney and capacity issues. · Private Client
David Draisey
Partner dealing with a wide range of contentious issues with particular expertise in complex disputes relating to trusts and probate. David also regularly advises on residential and commercial property disputes as well as claims for negligence against professional advisors. · Dispute Resolution
Dominik Opaliński
Partner, dealing with all aspects of charity law, particularly the business of charities, and not-for-profit organisations, specialising in the development of social enterprise schemes for the benefit of communities in the UK and abroad, fundraising campaigns, trustees’ investment powers and fund management. Dominik has extensive knowledge and experience in establishing not-for-profit organisations including charities providing them with practical advice and guidance with a commercial steer. · Charity
Henry Hood
Partner and head of the family department dealing with all aspects of family law, in particular matrimonial finance, prenuptial agreements, often of very high value, and private law children work. · Family
Ian Layzell-Smith
Partner specialising in commercial and agricultural property work primarily for landed estate clients. Ian has particular experience in dealing with the sale of land for development including the grant of development options and promotion agreements, and also in mines and minerals and the letting of land for renewable energy projects. · Real Estate
James Vernor-Miles
Partner specialising in Property and Landed estates work. He also has extensive experience in acting for Charity Trustees and Commercial Property clients for whom he advises regularly in connection with the sale, lease, purchase and development of land. James advises a number of charities on matters other than property. His clients include professionals, high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals, property investors, agricultural land owners and landed estates, private and off-shore trustees, charities, residential property management companies, and professional practices. · Real Estate
Jo Carr-West
Partner in the family department. Jo has broad experience of the complex financial aspects of divorce proceedings, dealing with cases exploring issues of inherited assets, trusts and company law, as well as advising on wealth protection pre-marriage – including pre-nuptial agreements. In addition, she advises on disputes concerning children and on the issues surrounding cohabitation and other forms of family breakdown. · Family
Julia Richards
Julia has strong trusts expertise and a particular interest in landed estates and heritage property. She has extensive experience advising on succession planning, trusts, wills, powers of attorney and probates. Her clients include landed estate families, business entrepreneurs and “Middle England” clients, most of whom are UK resident and domiciled, but often with international exposure. She is a trustee of a number of her clients' trusts and charities. · Private Client
Lara Barton
Partner in the private client department specialising in wills, trusts, administration of estates, capital tax planning, powers of attorney and court of protection matters. · Private Client
Louise Walker
Partner in the private client department, specialising in will and trust drafting, tax planning and probate. · Private Client
Lucinda Tite
Partner and joint head of private client department specialising in tax planning for both UK and non-UK individuals and trusts, will and settlement drafting, post death tax planning and domicile and residence issues. · Private Client
Mary Elliott
Partner specialising in wills and estate planning, trusts and related tax issues, and probate. · Private Client
Matthew Yates
Partner and head of the private client department, Matthew specialises in wills, trusts, administration of estates, and capital tax planning, as well as mental capacity and Powers of Attorney. · Private Client
Olivia Piercy
Partner in the family department. Olivia is a talented family lawyer with extensive experience in complex cases, including child abduction, protection, surrogacy, and fertility law. She is also an expert in domestic abuse and coercive control. · Family
Richard Kershaw
Partner specialising in matrimonial and family work, particularly complex financial proceedings and urgent children related-work. Richard's cases are often complex and high in value, and draw on his expertise in trusts, overseas assets and property ownership. He is frequently instructed to obtain injunctions, both financial and for his clients’ personal protection. In addition to his Family work, he has a complementary litigation practice with a primary focus on relationship generated trust and inheritance act disputes. · Family
Vanina Wittenburg
Senior Associate in the private client department specialising in wills, administration of estates, trusts and powers of attorney. Vanina undertakes a wide range of private client work, including drafting wills and trust documents, the preparation and registration of lasting powers of attorney, the preparation of applications for probate, the administration of estates and trusts (including dealing with HMRC in relation to inheritance tax, capital gains tax and income tax), and providing tax and estate planning advice. · Private Client
Wilfrid Vernor-Miles
Partner in the private client department specialising in tax and estate planning, trust creation and administration, wills and probate. Wilfrid's practice often involves complex international elements for high value, multi-jurisdictional families and ownership structures. In addition to his wealth structuring and planning work he has a complementary practice in the formation and administration of UK and international charities and charitable trusts. · Private Client