Expertise
Biography
Jemma is a highly experienced Associate Solicitor within our Wills, Trusts & Tax team, who specialises in handling complex contentious probate matters.
Background & Expertise
Jemma studied at the University of Leeds, where she gained her degree in Law. She went on to the Chester College of Law, achieving a Distinction in the Legal Practice Course.
Jemma qualified as a solicitor in 2012 at Shrewsbury-based firm Lanyon Bowdler where she practiced for 10 years. She joined Aaron & Partners in August 2022 as an Associate Solicitor within the Contested Wills, Trusts, and Estates Team.
With a background in general litigation matters, Jemma brings a unique perspective to her work. She utilises her vast experience to represent clients in ancillary matters, including property and contract disputes, partnership disputes, and professional negligence claims involving estates.
Specialisms and Personal Achievements
Jemma’s expertise lies in trust and probate disputes, and she has successfully handled an array of cases, including claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) 1975 Act, proprietary estoppel claims, challenges to the validity of wills, and estate administration disputes. Additionally, Jemma has extensive experience advising trustees and beneficiaries in trust-related conflicts, equitable claims, and applications to the court for directions.
Jemma primarily works with high net worth individuals, as well as charities and trusts. Her success as a solicitor can be attributed to her objective approach, empathetic nature, and understanding of the unique situations her clients face. She tailors her advice and solutions to suit the specific needs of each case.
Jemma's farming background has instilled in her a particular interest in family farming disputes. She strives to identify her clients' objectives early on and achieve them as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. She became an associate member of the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS).
Recent Work Examples
- Assisted a client with a claim based on proprietary estoppel in respect of a business enterprise and trust assets believed to be worth up to 280million and involving assets in another jurisdiction.
- Successfully defended claims at the High Court for removal of her clients as executors.
- Successfully assisted a client to bring a partnership claim which concluded at a final hearing in the High Court.
- Successfully settled a claim at a joint settlement meeting for a farmer’s son enforcing a broken promise that he would inherit the farm when his parents died. Jemma secured her client a six-figure settlement and a percentage interest in the farm.
- Assisted an executor with a Court application to approve proceedings for an order for sale of estate property.
- Assisted a beneficiary of an estate comprising of a farm with complex partnership issues and agricultural tenancy issues and successfully settling for the transfer of the farm for much less than market value.
- Assisted a client whose husband died during ongoing divorce proceedings and settlement discussions regarding jointly owned property.
- Assisted a carer bringing a claim for proprietary estoppel from the deceased’s estate.
- Assisted a client with a Court application for payment of a share of the estate into Court for a missing beneficiary.
- Assisted a client with a Court application for removal and replacement of trustees.
- Advised a trustee and beneficiary of a large estate with multiple properties regarding breach of trust claims against another trustee.
- Assisted in mediation defending a claim by a cohabitee of the deceased farmer under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents Act) 1975 and proprietary estoppel against his large farming estate.
- Assisted beneficiaries with defending a claim to overturn a will on the grounds of lack of testamentary capacity and fraudulent calumny.
- Assisted a client in relation to his brother’s estate including advice on seeking to overturn the will on grounds of lack of testamentary capacity, lack of knowledge and approval and assisting with arguments over jointly owned assets and farm boundary issues.