Gareth acts for both claimants and defendants on the full range of contentious trust and probate matters, including:

• will challenges
• claims for financial provision under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975
• claims concerning domicile
• breach of trust and claims relating to ownership of a deceased's property (implied trusts and proprietary estoppel)

Gareth is also an expert in mental capacity law and contentious Court of Protection matters. He regularly acts for deputies, attorneys and other interested parties on the matters including removal of attorneys/deputies, disputed lifetime gifts, statutory wills and financial abuse claims, amongst others.

Having studied and worked in France and Belgium, Gareth has a particular interest in matters involving assets in civil law jurisdictions and is a fluent French speaker.

Gareth's experience includes:

• property belonging to minors abroad - acted in Re B (a Child) [2022] EWFC 7 for the mother of a minor who had inherited property in France making the necessary application to the Family Court to enable the mother to sell the child’s interest in the property on her son’s behalf and to receive the proceeds of sale to hold for his benefit

• domicile dispute - acted for adult children of a wealthy businessman in a complex multi-jurisdictional dispute regarding whether the deceased’s estate should be divided according to a copy will in England or under foreign rules of intestacy

• statutory will - acted for attorney under an LPA to obtain authority from the Court of Protection to execute an urgent holding statutory will for an elderly lady who lacked capacity, but had nevertheless made a new will leaving her multimillion pound estate to a former neighbour

• trust dispute - acting for beneficiary of discretionary trust in a dispute about who should act as trustee, and  proper exercise of trustee’s discretion to make distributions

• Court of Protection - acted for partner of a gentleman with an acquired brain injury to resolve disputes as to proper management of his finances, as well as questions as to contact, residence and capacity to marry/enter sexual relations, resulting in the couple being able to marry and live together

• Member of ACTAPS (Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists)
• Member of STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) 
• Committee member of STEP Global Special Interests Group on Mental Capacity
• Committee member of London Branch CoPPA (Court of Protection Practitioners Association)