Hugh James

Overseen by the 'top-notch'  Matthew Evans, as part of the overarching private wealth offering, Hugh James has the strength-in-depth to provide a degree of specialisation and expertise unmatched by other firms in the Welsh market. The 'outstanding' Eleanor Evans heads up the trusts and estates sub-group  and is responsible for managing the administration of the estates of institutional clients, work which often includes complex financial assets as well as issues relating to foreign jurisdictions. Senior associate Austin Gill  handles  the administration of estates for private individuals, including high-net-worth matters involving complex issues; he is also very adept at advising on onward succession planning for beneficiaries, including in the context of drafting Deeds of Variation, as well as ensuring that lifetime gifts are effectively utilised to minimise IHT burdens on the estate. One of several in the team with Welsh language skills, Catrin Griffiths  can handle matters in English and Welsh and leads the estate planning group that has a strong reputation representing high and ultra-high-net worth clients, in particular, with the preparation of their wills, trusts, Powers of Attorney documents, succession planning and estate planning advice. For the more commoditised work, under the guidance of Gareth Wisdom and utilising some very effective internal legal technology, the firm also excels in handling volume will writing for financial institution clients. Clients also benefit from access to a market-leading litigation offering which is headed up by the 'totally brilliant' Roman Kubiak, who excels in complex contentious probate matters, including promissory estoppel cases in the farming sector.