Simon Goldring

Partner

+44 (0)20 7786 8654 simon.goldring@mtgllp.com Download vCard↓

PA: Millie Raftery

+44 (0)20 7786 8650 millie.raftery@mtgllp.com

An absolute human dynamo, he's so determined and driven.

Chambers & Partners (HNW)

Simon is recognised as a leading Private Wealth litigator. His experience spans a range of contentious matters, notably onshore and offshore trusts disputes.

Simon focuses on disputes involving trusts, wills and estates, commercial disputes including fraud, partnership and minority shareholder actions, tax, IP, and areas of marital law such as pre- and post-nuptial agreements. Described as “an outstanding proactive and strategic thinker” by market commentators, his practice has developed from his private client background, enabling him to approach litigation from a client-centric perspective.

Simon is the co-founder and co-chair of ConTrA (the Contentious Trusts Association), which now has well in excess of 650 members. He also chairs the Trusts in Litigation annual conference, which is one of the leading Contentious Trusts conferences, and organises the annual Private Client Summer School at the University of Cambridge.

Simon continues to be ranked by Chambers & Partners (HNW) and by Legal 500 for his Private Wealth Disputes expertise. Simon has also been listed as a Rising Leader by Legal Week’s Private Client Global Elite for the past six years and was ranked as one of ePrivateClient’s Top 35 under 35 for multiple successive years.

MoreLess

Expertise

Simon focuses on trust and estate disputes, both onshore and offshore. His private wealth disputes practice also encompasses other commercial disputes, including partnership and minority shareholder actions, tax litigation, misrepresentation, fraud and areas of marital law.

Recent examples of reported matters in which Simon has been involved include:

Vladimir Slutsker v Haron Investments Ltd & Summit Trustees (Cayman) Limited – High Court [2012] EWHC 2539 (Ch) and Court of Appeal [2013] EWCA Civ 430 dealt with the way in which the matrimonial property regime in Russia would be recognised in respect of English property held in a Cayman Law Trust;
Van de Merwe v HMRC [2016] EWHC 926 (Ch) which found that a trust could be rescinded for equitable mistake where the settlor had not realised that setting it up would lead to a substantial inheritance tax charge;
In the matter of the “R” Trusts (Rothschild Switzerland (CI) Trustees Limited & Ors v W & Ors) [Guernsey] relating to the admissibility of without prejudice material in a Public Trustee v Cooper application.
D v A, B & C & Ors [2020] GCA 065 in the Court of Appeal of Guernsey dealing with the rules on construction of a trust deed, in particular whether a beneficiary’s power to appoint was a personal or fiduciary power.
In the Matter of the Estate of Sheikh Saoud Mohamed A.A. Al Thani (Deceased) BVIHCV 2019/0230, unreported, Ellis J where the BVI Court upheld an recognised an oral will and established the rules on situs of BVI company shares in relation to a very valuable international probate dispute

Simon has considerable experience in advising on corporate transactions, wealth planning and trust matters for a wide range of clients, which include individuals, trustees, beneficiaries, protectors, charities and corporate entities Simon administered a UK trust corporation for a number of years and has acted as in-house counsel providing primarily commercial contracts advice.

Simon has significant experience of advising individuals, family offices and trustees on a wide range of estate planning solutions, including using trusts and corporate vehicles. Recent examples of his work are:

Ensuring sensible and tax efficient succession planning in relation to a property portfolio worth multiple hundreds of millions of pounds.
Providing commercial contracts advice and undertaking complex corporate transactions.
Administering a trust fund primarily invested in private equity worth in excess of £300 million and setting up a family office offering.
Advising on the tax consequences of the sale of a high-value residential property portfolio.
Preparing wills and lasting powers of attorney.

Stands out for his energy, dynamism and practical approach

Legal 500

An innovative, committed lawyer with keen commercial instincts

Chambers & Partners (HNW)

Extremely intelligent, very good at taking a no-nonsense legal approach

Chambers & Partners (HNW)

Simon is fantastic. He is very bright and he does some amazing work

Chambers & Partners (HNW)

Very strategically adept and straightforward in his thinking."

Chambers & Partners (HNW)

What others say

Articles by Simon

Enforceability of a foreign oral Will in the BVI

All articles