People

Biography

Memberships

Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS)

Contentious Trusts Association (ConTrA)

Full member of STEP

Hannah Mantle

Partner, Contentious Trusts and Estates

Hannah is a Partner, who joined our Contentious Trusts and Estates team in May 2019.

Specialising in contentious private client matters throughout her career, she is highly experienced in advising professional clients and private individuals, both domestically and internationally. She ensures that each client achieves the best result for them – taking cases to a final Court hearing where necessary, and encouraging settlement and mediation wherever appropriate.

Hannah was promoted to Partner in April 2023.

Experience

Contentious Probate and disputed lifetime gifts:

  • Probate disputes – Hannah advises on claims relating to validity of Wills (e.g. capacity, undue influence and knowledge and approval), and rectification and construction of Wills.
  • Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 – Hannah acts for claimants and defendants in claims by spouses, partners, children and other dependants.
  • Hannah is regularly instructed to act on contentious cross border estates, including issues of domicile and other issues of conflict of laws / private international law.
  • Hannah’s matters often include challenges to lifetime gifts and other inherited property disputes, such as proprietary estoppel and TLATA 1996.
  • Hannah acts on applications to approve sales of foreign property for minor children.

Contentious trust practice:

  • Variation of trusts – Hannah advises on variations requiring Court application and variations without court approval where there is a risk of future claims.
  • Hannah advises domestic and offshore trustees, and protectors on challenges to their administration of trusts.
  • Advising fiduciaries and beneficiaries on validity, investments, administration and distributions from trusts.

Contentious Court of Protection practice:

  • Statutory Wills – Hannah has brought and defended claims for statutory Wills, including urgent applications, and claims relating to contentious gifts or inappropriate conduct by attorneys, carers and deputies.
  • Hannah acts in contested and / or urgent deputyship applications and in disputes regarding the registration of Lasting and Enduring Powers of Attorney (LPA / EPA).
  • Hannah regularly acts in urgent or contentious applications for orders to sell or transfer property for protected parties.
  • Hannah advises on the recognition of foreign powers of attorney in England & Wales and other cross border capacity issues.

Other:

  • Charities – Hannah has acted for charities and in trust disputes, probate disputes and 1975 Act claims involving charities.
  • Sanctions – Hannah has advised on issues relating to UK and EU sanctions for trustees and trust structures, including issues involving the recent sanctions against Russian individuals/entities.
  • Hannah is a member of the firm’s vineyards & wineries group and works closely with colleagues in other departments to provide comprehensive sector-focused advice.
  • Hannah advises in connection with professional negligence claims against private client solicitors and other private client professionals.
  • Hannah has been involved in stress testing potentially contentious trusts or Wills alongside the non-contentious private client team.
  • She assists the family department with pre-nuptial agreements and issues arising on separation where trust issues arise.

Publications/Conferences

Hannah has recently written or contributed to:

Conferences:

  • Private Client Global Elite – Risky Business: Investment management claims (November 2022)
  • TL4 / ConTrA – The Modern Trust – Keeping up with the modern family (July 2022)
  • AIJA – Gender and Inclusivity in International Families – LGBTQ+ Wealth Planning (June 2022)
  • Transcontinental Trusts, Geneva – Letters of Wishes (May 2022)
  • TL4 – Death in the Modern Age – Conflict of Laws and multi-jurisdictional claims (April 2022)

Articles:

Professional organisations and memberships

  • Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Solicitors (ACTAPS)
  • Full member of STEP
  • Founding committee member of ConTrA

Directories

  • Described as “very impressive” in The Legal 500 2023
  • Rising Leader in Global Elite
  • Shortlisted for the Spears Wealth Management Awards 2021

Vineyards & Wineries

Forsters are delighted to be launching our Vineyards & Wineries practice. The cross-departmental team draws upon our strengths from across the firm, a combination of expertise that is rare if not unique in the market. The increasing number of vineyards we look after complements our exceptional book of landed estates, and is testament to our ability to look after landowning clients, whatever their business and whatever challenges they face.

An image of a vineyard


Awards and recognitions

My Insights

"What I like is how friendly everyone is and how proud everyone is to work here"
Forsters brand survey
×