Ryan Taylor is a Senior Associate in the Contested Wills, Trusts and Estates team, working in the London office. He has considerable experience in the field of litigated estates and trusts, where he advises clients in relation to beneficiary disputes, claims on estates, disputes over wills, and contentious Court of Protection matters. He acts both for executors seeking to defend estates; and disappointed beneficiaries in seeking to claim further provision and/or dispute the validity of wills. His practise also deals with trust disputes and arguments over the beneficial entitlement to land and property.
Ryan first qualified in Australia in 2011 where he gained extensive experience in non-contentious wills and estates law. There, he would also advise on business succession planning and testamentary trusts for families and high net-worth individuals.
His interest in litigation then led him to take on disputed estate work. In these cases, he acted for both parties making claims against, and in defence of estate proceedings. Ryan developed this interest and knowledge when he moved to London and worked for a Legal 500 firm. There, he worked on establishing practises for estate administration and litigation by creditors as well as contentious probate and trusts.
Ryan then worked as a senior member of a Legal 500 contentious trusts and probate London team for 3.5 years before making the move to join Hugh James in London.
Having settled in the UK, Ryan undertook the exams of the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme to additionally qualify as a Solicitor of England & Wales. He has worked full time in the legal industry in the UK since 2015.
The personal nature of contentious trust and estate work is what motivates Ryan. He focusses on getting to know his clients’ desired outcomes and working towards achieving them cost-effectively.
Ryan’s experience in this field and successes for his clients was recognised by his promotion to Senior Associate in 2021, and his recommendation as a key lawyer in the Legal 500 rankings of 2021 and 2022.