Trust, Inheritance and Succession Disputes

Many individuals have assets, such as property, in more than one country.  This can create complex cross-border succession and taxation issues on the death of a relative if the assets have not been correctly assigned to the beneficiaries in the jurisdiction in which is resides.

Helen Teffere, head of the Trust, Inheritance and Succession Disputes department at Giambrone & Partners specialises in dealing with cross-border estates.

Our lawyers have over 20 years experience and wealth of knowledge when advising clients on the many legal issues related to contested estates with assets are located in more than one country. Giambrone & Partners' reach across Europe ensures that our clients can be confident, as our lawyers have legal capacity in a number of jurisdictions, that their matter is being dealt with by lawyers who are qualified in and have  legal expertise in the country in question. 

Trust and estate disputes are often highly stressful and can be complicated, especially when your deceased relative's assets extend across more than one country. A dispute from competing sides of the extended family adds to the distress. Should a dispute arise between the beneficiaries or a person who believes that they should be a beneficiary, our expert lawyers have the capacity to reconcile the situation in the competing jurisdictions.

Where a person dies leaving assets in two or more countries, it is frequently necessary for probate to be obtained in all the countries in which the deceased owned assets. Giambrone& Partners' lawyers can manage all the various the legal procedures to enable the inheritance to be distributed to the beneficiaries in accordance with the law in each country and the wishes of the deceased.

Our Trust, Inheritance and Succession Disputes lawyers are extremely experienced in dealing with situations where the beneficiaries have lost faith in a trustee controlling a trust and we have dealt with many cases where a vulnerable individual has been persuaded to draft a new will which disinherits the family members that were closest to them or who cared for them. 

We are also accustomed to dealing with challenges to the deceased will arising in countries where the laws of succession defines the family members that are compulsory in the inheritance.  Fixed heirship is mandatory in some jurisdictions. We can assist you with:

• Applications for the removal of an executor;
• Bringing and defending claims on behalf of an estate;
• Citations to accept or refuse probate;
• Subpoenas to produce testamentary documents;
• Applications to issue and warn off caveats;
• Applications to the court for directions regarding the administration of an estate.

If you would like advice on an estate administration dispute or any other inheritance or trust dispute, please click here or telephone + 0044 207 183 9482, for a free, no-obligation chat to see how we can help you.