Peter Gillis
Partner
Peter Gillis is a partner at Stephenson Harwood specialising in international contentious trust, probate and succession disputes, high value family disputes, and commercial trust disputes.
Partner
Peter Gillis is a partner at Stephenson Harwood specialising in international contentious trust, probate and succession disputes, high value family disputes, and commercial trust disputes.
Language - English
Jurisdiction - England & Wales
Peter acts for high-net-worth individuals from the UK and around the world, trustees, protectors, and multinational professional services businesses operating in in this area. Peter has significant experience litigating in both UK and international courts, including Jersey, Guernsey, the BVI, the Bahamas, Hong Kong and Mauritius.
Peter advises on a full range of matters affecting private clients and their structures including:
- applications to deal with mistaken advice or flawed decisions by way of rectification or revocation;
- breach of trust claims;
- fraud claims;
- disputes between family members regarding their interest in family trusts and the operation of underlying corporate entities;
- trustee directions and court approval/blessing applications;
- advice about and disputes involving loss of capacity by family members or fiduciaries;
- challenges to Wills.
Peter has particular expertise resolving difficult and long-running disputes between beneficiaries of both English and offshore family trusts owning large multinational businesses.
Peter also regularly acts for Trustees of 'commercial trusts' including security trustees on contentious issues arising from secured bonds, securitisations or structured finance transactions as well as trustees of Unit Trusts, EOTs, EBTs involved in disputes or where the underlying structures are financially distressed.
Beneficiary succession disputes; disputes between family members regarding their interests in family trusts
Mistake and rectification claims
Applications for directions and blessing applications
Acted for a major bank trustee on an application for directions within the context of a blessing application seeking to restructure an offshore trust holding a large family business as part of a major international succession dispute.
Disclosure of trust information
Advised a beneficiary and protector on esoteric proceedings in Hong Kong related to a hostile application for disclosure of trust information.
Disputes over loss of capacity and powers of attorney
Trustee removal applications
Will challenges
Advised the beneficiary of an UHNW estate on a cross-border will challenge and estate dispute.
Fraud and attacks on trusts
Insolvent trusts
