Independent Administrator & Trustee Service - Legal Advice
We act as court-appointed independent administrators and trustees in some of the most high-value, emotionally charged, and complex estates and trusts across the country.
Led by highly respected partners Michelle Rose and Fiona Lawrence, our team is recognised nationally for its ability to handle sensitive matters with empathy and focus. We bring together litigation specialists, non-contentious probate lawyers, and experts in tax, employment, property and corporate law, creating a truly joined-up service that ensures every angle is considered and every challenge addressed.
Whether dealing with a difficult beneficiary, managing company shares within an estate, or resolving disputes through the courts, we offer clarity and direction at every step. Our team is regularly recommended by other professionals, barristers and mediators who trust us to see estates through to completion.
Administering a contentious estate or trust can be fraught with challenge, especially where relationships have broken down or administration has reached a standstill.
Our Independent Administrator and Trustee Service provides a pragmatic, impartial solution to help move things forward.
Appointed by the Court, we're brought in when disputes between beneficiaries, a lack of trust, or complicated asset issues prevent estates from being properly administered. Our role is to act in the best interests of all beneficiaries, ensuring that the estate is managed and resolved in a way that's fair and transparent
Our expertise
We balance firm decision-making with diplomatic engagement, always aiming to deliver practical solutions in the best interests of the estate.
While neutrality is essential, it must be paired with decisive action.
We are not afraid to issue court proceedings if a conciliatory approach or mediation has failed. As a result of many years of administering estates riven with conflict, the team has a vast amount of experience in successfully resolving and administering the most complex estates.
Our strength lies in our ability to navigate hostility with empathy and professionalism. We're experienced in managing long-running disputes, often where family relationships have broken down, and finding constructive paths to resolution.
Estates often hold business or property interests that require specialist action. We work closely with our corporate, employment and property litigation teams to manage directorships, shareholder disputes and occupation of estate-owned property.
We are frequently instructed in estates with international elements - from foreign-held assets to complex domicile disputes. Our cross-jurisdictional experience means we can coordinate the necessary steps across legal systems to ensure progress.
With top-tier rankings in contentious trusts and probate, and specialists across private client, property, corporate and litigation, we offer a seamless, coordinated service that reduces delays and adds confidence.
We understand that cost certainty is important, particularly in complex or high-value estates. We offer competitive hourly rates, clear initial retainer terms, and monthly cost updates. Our team can usually provide details of costs within one working day, and we're always happy to have an informal conversation about the issues the estate is facing.
Where estate liquidity is a challenge, we may be able to defer our fees subject to a review of the asset position, with higher hourly rates applied until liquidity has been achieved.
When clients are looking for a new administrator or trustee for a tricky estate or trust, I almost always suggest the team at VWV. Enormously experienced and excellent at lowering the temperature - keeping their heads when all around are losing theirs - they have steered a safe course through many a choppy estate administration dispute.
Our work highlights
Resolving deadlock caused by an unreasonable beneficiary
We were appointed in a multi-million-pound cross-border estate that had stalled due to one beneficiary's conduct. We untangled the numerous problems afflicting this estate including the recovery of stolen artwork and money hidden in Swiss bank accounts. In the course of the administration, we achieved the landmark High Court decision which remains the leading authority on the treatment of costs in cases where an unreasonable beneficiary's conduct is stalling the administration.
Case: Green v Astor & Ors [2013] EWHC 1857 (Ch)
Managing disputes involving cohabitees and business interests
In a long-running Welsh estate, we navigated multiple disputes involving a former wife and a cohabitee - including partnership and proprietary estoppel claims. We coordinated litigation across practice areas to steer the estate towards resolution.
Case: R v Clemo (Gillian) [2014] EWCA Crim
Appointed in a £10m family company dispute
We stepped in to administer the estates of a husband and wife where six siblings were in conflict. This included appointing new directors, responding to employment tribunal claims and resolving serious liquidity issues with the support of tax and valuation experts.
Case: McDonald v Rose & Ors [2019] EWCA Civ 4
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