Tom is a senior associate in the trust and estate disputes team. 

Tom acts for both claimants and defendants on a range of complex matters including domicile disputes, claims regarding the administration of estates and trusts (both domestic and international), applications to remove trustees and personal representatives and claims pursuant to the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. Tom also acts in relation to disputed Court of Protection matters.

Complex cases involving multi-million-pound estates have formed part of Tom's regular workload since his qualification as a solicitor in 2013, and he has extensive experience acting for protected parties in litigation. 

• Cross-border succession disputes: acting for the children of the Deceased in a high-value cross-border succession dispute. The dispute concerned the admissibility and presumed revocation of a will, and the Deceased’s domicile and habitual residence and straddled a number of common law and civil law jurisdictions.
• Cross-border succession disputes. Acting for the wife of the deceased in defending a claim brought by her step-son who contested the deceased’s domicile at the time of his death, and asserted forced heirship rights.
• Property trust dispute: Acting for the Defendant in a property trust dispute involving 18 properties, giving rise to complex property trust considerations and the interplay with the duties of a personal representative, including the rule against self-dealing.
• Property trust dispute.  K v N [2021] unreported: successfully claiming a declaration in our client’s favour as to 100% beneficial ownership of a disputed property.  We were able to secure the recovery of our client’s costs on the indemnity basis.
• Acting for a UHNW individual in an application for an account of his former attorney’s dealings with his affairs, involving cross-border considerations.
• An application to remove the protector of a trust in Jersey.
• Acting for the independent trustee of a family trust, subject to a longstanding contentious trust dispute, in a Public Trustee -v- Cooper application.
• Administration dispute: acted for an executor of an estate in a successful application in the High Court to remove a co-executor under section 50 of the Administration of Justice Act 1985.
• Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 claim. Stevanovic v Knyvett [2019] EWHC 381 (Fam): successfully defending a claim by a former purported partner of the deceased for financial provision from his multi-million pound estate. In the proceedings, successfully opposing an application for interim provision in the first reported case to consider the merits requirements.

• Tom is an associate member of ACTAPS (Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists).
• Tom is ranked as an Associate to Watch in Chambers HNW (2021 - 2024) and as a Rising Star in Legal 500 (2021 - 2024)

Tom graduated from the University of Southampton with a first-class honours degree in History.