Events / Webinars
Wilberforce Jersey Conference 2024
Thursday 26th September 2024 | 3.30pm - 6.20pm, followed by a drinks reception
Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel, Jersey
Free to attend | 2.0 CPD
View moreJonathan has a broad trusts and commercial practice. Much of his time is spent on private, commercial or pension trust disputes and fraud disputes, both on and offshore. His litigation often takes him into other areas of law, and he has significant experience of cases with family, regulatory, insolvency and public law elements. He also has a significant advisory practice across this spectrum of work.
He very much enjoys the challenge of breaking down complex issues into simple, clear points and the advocacy involved in litigation, both oral and written.
Most recently, Jonathan appeared successfully on appeal before the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal in the first case on Quistclose trusts before that Court, China Life Trustees Ltd (judgment 14 June 2024).
Jonathan was shortlisted for ‘Chancery Silk of the Year’ at the Chambers & Partners UK Bar Awards 2021 and at the Legal 500 Awards 2023.
He was appointed a Deputy High Court Judge in 2021.
He is consistently ranked in the directories for trusts (private and pension), matrimonial: trusts, offshore, civil fraud, traditional chancery and high-net-worth work (Chambers and Partners) and offshore, pensions and private client (The Legal 500).
Trusts, probate and estates: contentious
Jonathan is consistently ranked in Band 1 in Chambers & Partners for trusts work and separately for trusts and divorce work. Jonathan was shortlisted for ‘Chancery Silk of the Year’ at the Chambers & Partners UK Bar Awards 2021.
A substantial part of Jonathan’s work concerns ultra-high-net-worth private trust litigation and associated advice. This encompasses the spectrum of domestic litigation, offshore work, trusts and divorce disputes and work with a fraud or other asset tracing element. His work involves a wide range of jurisdictions, from Jersey and Guernsey to Bermuda, the BVI, the Cayman Islands and Hong Kong. He commonly leads large teams on his trust matters and enjoys working as part of a large group.
The vast majority of his cases are confidential, but for example he has recently been involved in complex litigation in Jersey, Guernsey, Hong Kong, and Bermuda, to name a handful. e.g.
Over recent years, a significant amount of his trusts work with an international element has concerned attacking and defending complex offshore structures, whether in the divorce context or in offshore proceedings involving fraud and other linked routes of attack. He has significant expertise in the divorce context and is often instructed as part of a family team.
On the domestic side, he acts in rectification, VTA and other similar court cases concerning trusts and estates, and frequently finds himself in the Chancery Division and Family Division on such cases.
He has longstanding experience in the Family Division having for example acted in the Tchenguiz Imerman v Imerman divorce and in cases like TM v AH [2016] EWHC 572 (Fam) about the joinder of offshore trustees.
Jonathan is the most capable and thorough advocate I've ever dealt with. His ability to assimilate information is extraordinary.
A truly brilliant and rare KC.
A superbly clever man; he's a go-to for large, complicated matters.
There are very few of his generation with his firepower.
Jonathan's mind works at an unbelievable pace and his analytical ability is incredible. He's a pleasure to work with, and an enormous support when he's in court.
Events / Webinars
Thursday 26th September 2024 | 3.30pm - 6.20pm, followed by a drinks reception
Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel, Jersey
Free to attend | 2.0 CPD
View moreEvents / Webinars
Wednesday 25th September 2024 | 3.30pm - 6.20pm, followed by a drinks reception
The Old Government House Hotel & Spa, St Peter Port
Free to attend | 2.0 CPD
View moreEvents / Webinars
Thursday 4th July 2024 | 12.30pm - 5.25pm, followed by drinks and canapés
The View at The Royal College of Surgeons
£135 + VAT | 3.5 CPD
View moreRecent Cases
Trusts, probate and estates: contentious, International / offshore
Jonathan Hilliard KC
Monday 17 June 2024
Commercial disputes
Jonathan is consistently ranked in Chambers Global and Chambers & Partners UK Bar for his civil fraud and offshore work.
A significant amount of Jonathan’s work concerns business and commercial disputes, particularly those relating to:
Jonathan’s work in these areas frequently overlaps with his offshore and trusts practices, many of these disputes having an international element, involving fraud or heavy factual disputes, and involving fiduciaries acting in a financial services context. He also has significant experience on the domestic side of the Upper Tribunal’s financial services jurisdiction and financial services judicial review.
On the commercial side, by way of example, over the last year or two:
On the civil fraud side, to take some recent examples:
Previously, by way of examples:
On the regulatory side, for example:
As far as insolvency is concerned, much of his pensions work takes him into the insolvency arena, and he frequently advises alongside or acts together with insolvency counsel. Examples of his reported insolvency cases include:
Jonathan is the most capable and thorough advocate I've ever dealt with. His ability to assimilate information is extraordinary.
A truly brilliant and rare KC.
A superbly clever man; he's a go-to for large, complicated matters.
There are very few of his generation with his firepower.
Jonathan's mind works at an unbelievable pace and his analytical ability is incredible. He's a pleasure to work with, and an enormous support when he's in court.
Events / Webinars
Thursday 26th September 2024 | 3.30pm - 6.20pm, followed by a drinks reception
Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel, Jersey
Free to attend | 2.0 CPD
View moreEvents / Webinars
Wednesday 25th September 2024 | 3.30pm - 6.20pm, followed by a drinks reception
The Old Government House Hotel & Spa, St Peter Port
Free to attend | 2.0 CPD
View moreEvents / Webinars
Thursday 4th July 2024 | 12.30pm - 5.25pm, followed by drinks and canapés
The View at The Royal College of Surgeons
£135 + VAT | 3.5 CPD
View moreEvents / Webinars
Thursday 19th October 2023 | 3.30pm- 6.20pm, followed by a drinks reception
The Old Government House Hotel & Spa, St Peter Port
Free to attend | 2.0 CPD
View morePensions
Jonathan advises regularly on pensions restructuring, other corporate pensions issues, moral hazard concerns, RPI and CPI issues and other similar points. He acts in rectification claims and in the compromises of complex pensions disputes, and has appeared before the Court of Justice of the European Union in the Hampshire v PPF litigation.
Examples of his reported cases include the following:
Jonathan is the most capable and thorough advocate I've ever dealt with. His ability to assimilate information is extraordinary.
A truly brilliant and rare KC.
A superbly clever man; he's a go-to for large, complicated matters.
There are very few of his generation with his firepower.
Jonathan's mind works at an unbelievable pace and his analytical ability is incredible. He's a pleasure to work with, and an enormous support when he's in court.
Events / Webinars
Wednesday 19th June 2024 | 12.15pm - 5.40pm, followed by drinks and dinner by Nobu
Nobu Shoreditch, London
£140 - £190 + VAT | 3.5 CPD
View moreNews
We are delighted to announce that Wilberforce has 11 nominations across 9 different categories at The Legal 500 Bar Awards 2023. Set of the Year Chancery Set of the Year Chancery Junior of the Year: Edward Sawyer, Sebastian Allen Chancery... Read more
Wednesday 12 July 2023
View morePublications
Michael Furness KC | Jonathan Hilliard KC | David Pollard | Edward Sawyer | Thomas Robinson | Sebastian Allen | Jennifer Seaman | Michael Ashdown | Joseph Steadman | Caspar Bartscherer
June 2022
Events / Webinars
Monday 20 June 2022 | 6.30pm - 7.30pm, followed by drinks
Ashworth Centre (and online via Zoom), Lincoln's Inn, London, WC2A 3TL
£75 + VAT | 1.0 CPD
View moreProfessional liability
Jonathan’s professional liability practice focuses particularly on negligence in the context of:
Ever since his first case as a tenant in Chambers, which concerned a long running accountancy and actuarial negligence dispute over the downfall of Equitable Life, his professional liability work has included a significant financial services element.
He is co-author of the Pension Scheme Actuaries chapter in the Professional Negligence and Liability looseleaf.
Jonathan is the most capable and thorough advocate I've ever dealt with. His ability to assimilate information is extraordinary.
A truly brilliant and rare KC.
A superbly clever man; he's a go-to for large, complicated matters.
There are very few of his generation with his firepower.
Jonathan's mind works at an unbelievable pace and his analytical ability is incredible. He's a pleasure to work with, and an enormous support when he's in court.
Registered name: Mr Jonathan Adam Hilliard
VAT number: 840168833