Neil is an experienced private client lawyer, with a particular specialism in trust and estate disputes. He advises individuals, families, charities and trustees about the validity of Wills and trust documents, undue influence, financial provision, mental capacity, interpretation and related matters. Neil has wide experience of negotiation, mediation and litigation, having conducted cases in the Family and Chancery Divisions of the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Court of Protection. He also maintains a non-contentious practice advising clients on wills, inheritance tax and the administration of complex UK and international estates and trusts.
Neil leads the firm's Private Capital Team, which is made up of more than 35 lawyers and other professionals operating from London, Bristol, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh. Neil is a member of The Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS) and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). He is President of The Association of Corporate Trustees (TACT) and regularly acts as executor, trustee and deputy (particularly as an independent professional in disputed cases).
Neil is consistently highly-ranked by Legal 500, Chambers HNW and Citywealth.
Experience
Examples of experience include:
- Advising a beneficiary and executor in successfully defeating a claim that the Will under which she benefited was forged, following a three-day High Court hearing. The client won on all points and successfully recovered her costs from the challenger
- Acting as independent administrator in a high-value international estate which was subject to a claim by the deceased’s widow for additional financial provision
- Advising a solicitor in relation to an opposed application to be made deputy for a wealthy former client. The matter was hostile but a negotiation was reached, and litigation was avoided
- Advising the main beneficiary of a valuable estate where the professional executor was failing to administer the estate. Following negotiations, the executor agreed to stand aside and allow another solicitor to deal with the administration of the estate
- Advising a property developer in relation to a dispute with an executor over the exercise of pre-emption rights over a substantial London property.
"Neil is brilliant at dealing with clients and strategising."
"Neil has really first-class judgement."
Chambers High Net Worth 2022
"Very personable and very engaging."
"He is incredibly professional, very approachable and easy to work with. I would always recommend him."
Chambers High Net Worth 2021
"Once he has got his nose on the trail of something there is no moving him. He will relentlessly work at something and go forward in his client's interest almost regardless of how much effort he's having to put in. He is clever, he thinks laterally about problems. He would be my choice if I had problems myself."
Chambers High Net Worth 2021
"Neil Long is exceptionally effective, approachable and unassumingly clever."
Legal 500 2021
