Andrew’s principal focus is his work in the fields of Probate and Inheritance, for which he is ranked in the Legal 500. Clients praise Andrew’s strong command of the details in such claims, whilst never losing sight of the broader picture and the sensitivities surrounding this work.

He regularly receives instructions to represent clients in 1975 Act claims, challenges to the validity of wills, and applications to remove executors/administrators, in addition to all other matters across the wills and
probate spectrum. Andrew is often instructed in such matters in the High Court, and typically against more senior counsel.
Outside of contentious litigation, Andrew is regularly instructed to advise executors and beneficiaries on topics such as the interpretation of wills, the application of testamentary trusts, and the steps to be taken in non-straightforward applications for probate.

• Cross-border validity claim, with competing beneficiaries in UK, USA and Canada, concerning the capacity of an elderly testatrix where it was alleged the beneficiary taking care of her before her death had deprived her of appropriate dementia assessments.
  • Claim for interpretation of a will, turning on whether the claimant was granted an absolute interest in the deceased’s home, or just a life interest until her cats had also died.
  • Application under s116 Senior Courts Act 1981 to ‘pass over’ the deceased’s partner as executor in favour of his children, in a dispute concerning funeral arrangements.
  • 1975 Act claim against 14 defendants across 2 countries, for a claimant alleging the deceased treated her like a daughter, despite her exclusion from his will.
  • Advice on interpretation of a will, where a simple drafting error made the difference between the deceased’s ex-partner inheriting one third of the estate and her inheriting the whole estate.
  • Application under s50 Administration of Justice Act 1985 to remove an administrator accused of effectively ‘tying up’ estate assets by agreeing to long-term tenancies over trust properties throughout the course of administration.
  • Advice on rectification, where the deceased and his wife had intended to make mirror wills, but an incorrect earlier draft of his will had in fact been executed.
  • 1975 Act claim brought by a civil partner left nothing by the deceased due to his misguided assumption that his children would provide for her.

As a natural counterpart to his probate work, Andrew also enjoys a busy property practice, having experience in the High Court, County Court, and First Tier Tribunal (Lands Chamber).
Andrew accepts instructions across all matters concerning real property, including disputes surrounding boundaries, easements, adverse possession, landlord and tenant issues and proprietary estoppel. He has
particular experience in claims under Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996, including declarations as to beneficial interest and orders for sale. Andrew has received praise from professional clients for his combination of ‘deep legal knowledge with excellent client handling and very strong advocacy’.

• Claim for a declaration of a beneficial interest as between four siblings where the names on the
title register and mortgage were unrelated to the provider of the purchase monies, and all were
unrelated to the actual occupation of the property.
• Possession proceedings where the claimant had been fraudulently mis-sold a commercial unit
which did not in fact exist, but was rather a room in a hotel.
• Relief from forfeiture proceedings in respect of a large commercial unit following breaches alleged to have occurred after a catastrophic fire at the property.
• Claim for determination of a boundary where the stone wall divider between the respective pieces of land had fallen down and been removed before any of the parties had come into occupation of the land.
• Advice on a vesting order in respect of an ex-bankrupt’s home, which had purportedly been disclaimed by his trustee in bankruptcy without his knowledge some 10 years prior.

Supplementing his traditional Chancery practice, Andrew has considerable experience in the wider aspects of Business and Property litigation, which is what he specialised in during his pupillage year.

Andrew completed his LLM in Corporate Law at Durham University, where he studied matters such a Company Law, Corporate Governance, Corporate Insolvency, and Mergers and Acquisitions. He has a wide knowledge base on commercial matters, which he is able to apply to his written and oral advocacy
during contentious litigation.
Andrew has drafted pleadings on and represented parties at trial in countless matters concerning breaches of contract, debt recovery, commercial lease disputes, consumer credit and corporate insolvency. He is remarked as being ‘particularly strong in complex and hard-fought matters’, being ‘technically outstanding, tactically astute and unfailingly dependable’.

• Unfair prejudice petition under s994 Companies Act 2006 and joined claim for other relief against a well-known property developer, defended on the basis that the purported claimant had ceased to be a shareholder some 7 years prior.
• Claim in breach of contract, professional negligence and deceit following the summary striking out of the Claimant’s personal injury claim due to repeated breaches by his then solicitors.
• Possession proceedings brought by a peer-to-peer lender in respect of a £1.6million loan secured by a charge over predominantly agricultural land.
• Advice on enforcement of a Polish judgment in England by way of charging order following the UK’s exit from the EU.
• Claim against a supplier of defective PPE during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Honourable Society of the Middle Temple 
• Northern Circuit 

• Bar Training Course, BPP Manchester
• LLM Corporate Law, Durham University
• BA (Hons) Jurisprudence, University of Oxford, Merton College