Hugh James

Key contacts

Roman Kubiak TEP

Roman is a partner in the Charities team and head of the top-ranked Contested Wills, Trusts and Estates team at Hugh James, one of the largest specialist teams in the UK helping clients resolve will, trust and estate disputes. In addition to advising charities in relation to legacy disputes, Roman also regularly helps charities with their legacy and fundraising campaigns. As a partner and member of the ILM, Roman also regularly provides training to members on both legal and soft-skills topics including legacy disputes and management and leadership, mentors CiCLA students and provides regular revision sessions. He is a full member of STEP and ACTAPS and holds the STEP Advanced Certificates in Trust Disputes and Cross-Border Succession.

Roman is noted in Legal 500 as having “the ability to cross over between private client and property-related matters with ease which gives him a breadth which many solicitors do not have”, being “very easy to deal with, a pleasant personality without arrogance and [who] works well as a team with counsel and others” and with a charity client commenting that “Roman is an absolute joy to work with and those of us who have worked with him have greatly valued his expertise, involvement and professional friendship”.

The team, who are based across the firm’s offices in Cardiff, London, Southampton and Manchester, advise charities across England and Wales on the whole range of legacy and estate disputes and Roman has advised clients in some of the leading reported decisions in this field.

As someone who has seen first-hand the huge benefits which charities bring, Roman is passionate about the sector and regularly fundraises and volunteers for good causes.

Watch a video case study of how Roman helped a charity client.

Email: roman.kubiak@hughjames.com
Phone: 029 2267 5502

Matthew Evans

Matthew Evans is a Partner and Head of the Private Wealth Group.  He is responsible for the development, implementation, and long-term strategy of the group. Matthew has a UK-wide reputation in the field of contentious probate, recognised by his clients and peers in the leading legal directories. His expertise lies in all aspects of contentious probate including: contesting a will/defending a will challenge, bringing and defending Inheritance Act claims, estates and trust disputes, Court of Protection disputes and Bringing and defending claims founded in doctrines of equity, such as proprietary estoppel and constructive trusts.

A full member of the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS), Matthew is currently one of a small group of professionals invited by the Law Commission to sit on an advisory group in respect of the ongoing consultation in respect of proposed amendments to the law of wills.

Email: matthew.evans@hughjames.com
Phone: 029 2267 5980

Website: www.hughjames.com
Phone: 0330 128 9402 – Charities Hotline
Email: charities@hughjames.com

Download the HJ Legacy Digital Brochure [pdf]

Locations

Cardiff: Two Central Square, Cardiff CF10 1FS
London: 99 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7NG
Southampton: 2 Charlotte Place, Southampton SO14 0TB
Plymouth: Unit 3, Endeavour House, Parkway Court, Longbridge Road, Marsh Mills, Plymouth PL6 8LR
Manchester: 12 Commercial Street, Manchester M15 4PZ

Client testimonial

“Can I just say how refreshing it is to work with a firm of Solicitors who actively keep us in the loop with the administration process – we are extremely grateful for your help.”

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About Hugh James

We know how increasingly vital legacy income is for charities, and how important it is to protect it – while navigating through the issues of risk, reputation, and regulation.

That’s why we’re committed to working with the ILM and its fantastic members. Whether that’s through tailored and bespoke training, drop-in clinics, legal support or just a forum to share ideas, we want to do what we can to help.

While we’re proud of our expertise in the sector, our track record and full-service offering, there’s always more that we can do.

That’s why, over the past 10 years, we’ve focused on becoming not just one of the largest firms undertaking will writing and trust and estate administration work – with one of the biggest legacy, will and estate disputes team in the UK – but one which listens to you and encourages feedback.

Working internationally in places like the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, and the British Virgin Islands, we feel that our specialist team offers a unique perspective on offshore and cross-border estate planning, legacy administration and high value and complex legacy and trust disputes.

Closer to home, we work with a large network of charities across England and Wales – the latter often through the medium of Welsh, including our partnership with the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) and as a panel member of specialist advisors to the Wales Cooperative Centre, supporting the social enterprises they fund. As such, we take great pride in being the only Welsh corporate partner firm of the ILM.

But it’s not about just paying lip-service to the sector; we’re well-known for finding innovative ways of supporting our charity clients – not just with our legal advice and training, but also through our support schemes, including funding the salaries of clinical outreach workers and specialist training for nurses. And, we’re excited about what we can offer you.