Mark Lindley - Private Wealth Partner - Boodle Hatfield

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Mark Lindley

Mark Lindley, Private Wealth Partner, Boodle Hatfield

Partner
Private Client & Tax

+44 (0) 20 7079 8173 download vcard
Mark Lindley, Private Wealth Partner, Boodle Hatfield

Mark specialises in resolving disputes regarding trusts, estates, tax, gifts and matters relating to mental capacity, with particular expertise in relation to offshore and cross-border estates.

He has advised on matters where proceedings have taken place in many jurisdictions, including Jersey, Guernsey, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Scotland and elsewhere.

The types of work Mark deals with include:

  • Breach of trust and removal claims against trustees, executors and administrators;
  • Advising trustees, executors and beneficiaries in relation to applications relating to the interpretation of trust deeds, wills and other documents, the approval of decisions by trustees and other issues arising in the administration of trusts and estates;
  • Professional negligence claims against trustees and professional advisers, particularly relating to advice on transactions giving rise to unexpected tax consequences and claims seeking to set aside such transactions;
  • Claims relating to the validity of wills, gifts and other documents challenged on the grounds of undue influence, fraud and a lack of mental capacity;
  • Claims for financial provision under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975;
  • Proprietary estoppel claims and claims based unjust enrichment;
  • Claims relating to Deputies and Attorneys in the Court of Protection, including applications for statutory wills and approval of gifts; and
  • Unfair prejudice petitions / claims for just and equitable winding up, particularly of family businesses.

He also works with individuals, families and trustees in relation to planning needs, drawing on his experience as both a private wealth adviser and litigation lawyer. Mark is often approached to act as litigation friend for protected parties and as replacement trustee or personal representative in removal proceedings.

Areas of Practice

Private Client, Private Wealth Disputes, Wills & Lasting Powers of Attorney, Probate & Administration of Estates, Heritage Property and Art, Landed Estates, Trusts & Divorce, TAGLaw

Track Record

Reported decisions in the courts include:

Acting for the trustees of a landed estate in connection with an application to approve a decision concerning the status of a child born via a US surrogacy arrangement (Cator & ors v Thynn & anor [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch)).

Successfully striking out a £4m debt claim brought in the Supreme Court of Gibraltar (Humber Holdings Limited v Andrew [2025/GSC/037])

Representing the claimant in an important decision of the Supreme Court of Gibraltar concerning the proper construction of a trust, regarding whether or not the Court’s permission was required to serve a party out of the jurisdiction in Gibraltar post-Brexit (AA v Highvern Trustees Guernsey Limited and Ors [GSC/2024/034])

Acting for the Second Claimant (alongside colleagues representing the First Claimant) in a matter concerning claims for possession, proprietary estoppel, undue influence and trustee removal  (Gladstone & anor v White & ors [2023] EWHC 329 (Ch))

Advising two beneficiaries of offshore structures with assets worth in excess of US$350m seeking the removal of the protector ([2022] JRC086 Representation of B and C)

Advising the co-trustee and a beneficiary of a pension scheme, in a contested application to bless the trustee’s decision on how to deal with death benefits from the scheme (Punter Southall Governance Services Limited v (1) Nigel Benge and (2) Kay Barrett [2022] EWHC 193 (Ch))

Acting as litigation friend for minor beneficiaries in an application for the approval of a trustee decision to benefit an illegitimate child (PQ and anor v RS and ors [2019] EWHC 1643 (Ch))

Advising claimants and defendants in claims for financial provision under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, including in Cowan v Foreman & Ors [2019] EWHC 349 (Fam) / [2019] EWCA Civ 1336

Advising trustees seeking to set aside a disposition with adverse tax consequences on the grounds of mistake (Smith v Stanley [2019] 2 WLUK 174)

Advising the trustees of a valuable landed estate in a will dispute (Wesley v Chantler & Ors [2018] EWHC 21 (Ch))

Advising the trustees of a valuable landed estate in relation to claims based proprietary estoppel (Fielden v Christie Miller) [2015] EWHC 87 (Ch), [2015] EWHC 752 (Ch) and [2015] EWHC 2940 (Ch))

Advising a beneficiary of offshore trust structures worth more than £500m (In the matter of the R and RA Trusts (Gsy C.A.) [470/2014])

Advising foreign charitable foundation in connection with litigation in England and the Netherlands, successfully resisting an application for an anti-suit injunction and freezing order in the English court (Nabil Tadros & anor v (1) Simon Barratt & ors [2014] EWHC 2860 (Ch))

Awards & Rankings

Legal 500, Leading Partner, 2025 & 2026

Chambers HNW, Top Ranked Individual, 2025

Private Client Global Elite, Excellence, 2024

Chambers HNW, Ranked Individual, 2019 – 2024

Legal 500, Leading Individual, 2022 – 2024

Legal 500, Next Gen Partner 2017 – 2021

Legal Week Private Client Global Elite, 2018, 2019 & 2021

Conference Speaking

Trusts and Estates Litigation Forum 2022: Privacy: Is it alive and well, on life support, or dearly departed

Trans Trust Bermuda 2020 (Virtual): Fixing Settlor and Trustee Mistakes

Trusts and Estates Litigation Forum 2020: Legitimate children, trusts and human rights

TransTrusts Bermuda 2019: Crociani Revisited

ConTrA: Trusts In Litigation 2019: Estate Planning & Succession – Freedom of Disposition

STEP Isle of Man Annual Conference 2018: Practice and procedure in applications for the court’s blessing of momentous decisions by trustees

Publications

International Trust Disputes (Co-author with Andrea Zavos), on representation of beneficiaries

Planning and Administration of Offshore and Onshore Trusts (Co-author, with Simon Rylatt and Clare Pooley)

Business Families and Family Businesses – STEP Handbook for Advisers 2018

Tolley’s Estate Planning

Memberships

Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)

Former member and Deputy Chair of the STEP Contentious Trusts

Estates SIG Global Steering Committee

Registered Contentious Trust and Probate Specialist (Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists)

STEP Advanced Certificate in International Succession and Probate

ConTrA (Contentious Trusts Association)

Education & Qualification

University of Exeter

Qualified as a solicitor in 2008

Reported decisions in the courts include:

Acting for the trustees of a landed estate in connection with an application to approve a decision concerning the status of a child born via a US surrogacy arrangement (Cator & ors v Thynn & anor [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch)).

Successfully striking out a £4m debt claim brought in the Supreme Court of Gibraltar (Humber Holdings Limited v Andrew [2025/GSC/037])

Representing the claimant in an important decision of the Supreme Court of Gibraltar concerning the proper construction of a trust, regarding whether or not the Court’s permission was required to serve a party out of the jurisdiction in Gibraltar post-Brexit (AA v Highvern Trustees Guernsey Limited and Ors [GSC/2024/034])

Acting for the Second Claimant (alongside colleagues representing the First Claimant) in a matter concerning claims for possession, proprietary estoppel, undue influence and trustee removal  (Gladstone & anor v White & ors [2023] EWHC 329 (Ch))

Advising two beneficiaries of offshore structures with assets worth in excess of US$350m seeking the removal of the protector ([2022] JRC086 Representation of B and C)

Advising the co-trustee and a beneficiary of a pension scheme, in a contested application to bless the trustee’s decision on how to deal with death benefits from the scheme (Punter Southall Governance Services Limited v (1) Nigel Benge and (2) Kay Barrett [2022] EWHC 193 (Ch))

Acting as litigation friend for minor beneficiaries in an application for the approval of a trustee decision to benefit an illegitimate child (PQ and anor v RS and ors [2019] EWHC 1643 (Ch))

Advising claimants and defendants in claims for financial provision under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, including in Cowan v Foreman & Ors [2019] EWHC 349 (Fam) / [2019] EWCA Civ 1336

Advising trustees seeking to set aside a disposition with adverse tax consequences on the grounds of mistake (Smith v Stanley [2019] 2 WLUK 174)

Advising the trustees of a valuable landed estate in a will dispute (Wesley v Chantler & Ors [2018] EWHC 21 (Ch))

Advising the trustees of a valuable landed estate in relation to claims based proprietary estoppel (Fielden v Christie Miller) [2015] EWHC 87 (Ch), [2015] EWHC 752 (Ch) and [2015] EWHC 2940 (Ch))

Advising a beneficiary of offshore trust structures worth more than £500m (In the matter of the R and RA Trusts (Gsy C.A.) [470/2014])

Advising foreign charitable foundation in connection with litigation in England and the Netherlands, successfully resisting an application for an anti-suit injunction and freezing order in the English court (Nabil Tadros & anor v (1) Simon Barratt & ors [2014] EWHC 2860 (Ch))

Legal 500, Leading Partner, 2025 & 2026

Chambers HNW, Top Ranked Individual, 2025

Private Client Global Elite, Excellence, 2024

Chambers HNW, Ranked Individual, 2019 – 2024

Legal 500, Leading Individual, 2022 – 2024

Legal 500, Next Gen Partner 2017 – 2021

Legal Week Private Client Global Elite, 2018, 2019 & 2021

Trusts and Estates Litigation Forum 2022: Privacy: Is it alive and well, on life support, or dearly departed

Trans Trust Bermuda 2020 (Virtual): Fixing Settlor and Trustee Mistakes

Trusts and Estates Litigation Forum 2020: Legitimate children, trusts and human rights

TransTrusts Bermuda 2019: Crociani Revisited

ConTrA: Trusts In Litigation 2019: Estate Planning & Succession – Freedom of Disposition

STEP Isle of Man Annual Conference 2018: Practice and procedure in applications for the court’s blessing of momentous decisions by trustees

International Trust Disputes (Co-author with Andrea Zavos), on representation of beneficiaries

Planning and Administration of Offshore and Onshore Trusts (Co-author, with Simon Rylatt and Clare Pooley)

Business Families and Family Businesses – STEP Handbook for Advisers 2018

Tolley’s Estate Planning

Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)

Former member and Deputy Chair of the STEP Contentious Trusts

Estates SIG Global Steering Committee

Registered Contentious Trust and Probate Specialist (Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists)

STEP Advanced Certificate in International Succession and Probate

ConTrA (Contentious Trusts Association)

University of Exeter

Qualified as a solicitor in 2008

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Recommended by Mark

8 min read 23 Sep 2020 Remote witnessing of Wills—pros and cons from a disputes’ perspective

Private Client analysis: Mark Lindley, partner at Boodle Hatfield, discusses the new rules in the Wills Act 1837

 Read more 5 min read 17 Jul 2020 Inheritance disputes rise as families go to war over estates

Number of contested wills at an all-time high as rising house prices and complex family structures drive competing claims.

 Read more 3 min read 27 Aug 2025 James Woods-Davison speaks at the TL4 & ConTrA Private Client Summer School

This Friday, Private Wealth Disputes Senior Associate, James Woods-Davison will be speaking at the TL4 & ConTrA Private Client Summer School in Cambridge. James will join Joanne Morse of Summit Trust International to lead a session on “Value-Driven Investing”. With its mix of expert-led sessions, practical workshops and informal networking, the event offers an invaluable opportunity for junior practitioners to develop their technical expertise and broaden their practice.

 Read more 5 min read 01 Jul 2025 Modernising wills – A significant step, but work is still to be done

In eprivateclient, Partner, Nicola Bushby explores the Law Commission’s Modernising Wills report, highlighting key proposals for reforming the law of wills, such as recognising electronic wills and adopting the test for capacity in lieu of the common law test. While progress is clear, concerns remain, especially around the rule revoking wills upon marriage.

 Read more