Andrew Vinson

Call 2000

vinson@exchangechambers.co.uk

"Andrew is extremely knowledgeable and always prepared to help or assist with an ad hoc query or more meaningful instructions. He is passionate for his clients and while he remains calm, he is also forceful in his points."

The Legal 500 2024
Photo of Andrew Vinson

  • Recommendations

    “Andrew is excellent in all his work – with clients and solicitors and in advocacy settings. In mediation, he is calm and rational, but has fire for his clients and is no pushover. He is always happy to explain and assist as required.”
    Chambers and Partners 2024

    “Andrew is extremely knowledgeable and always prepared to help or assist with an ad hoc query or more meaningful instructions. He is passionate for his clients and while he remains calm, he is also forceful in his points.”
    The Legal 500 2024

    “Andrew gives sound and practical advice.”

    “Andrew’s academic brilliance makes him stand out. He adopts a practical and commercial approach to delivering advice and communicating with clients.”
    Chambers and Partners 2023

    ‘Andrew always offers sensible, pragmatic advice to achieve the best results for the client. He is commercially minded and conscious of the costs consequences of the available courses of action. Although he always advises upon the pros and cons of seeking a settlement, he is not afraid to advise clients to proceed to trial when this is in their best interests.’
    The Legal 500 2023

    “He is extremely intelligent and extremely knowledgeable, and is able to channel his knowledge into being a really effective barrister. He makes effective submissions to judges and doesn’t lose sight of the structure of his arguments.” “He delivers his advice with conviction and confidence. When he tells you something it becomes believable and persuasive, which clients like, and it adds value.”

    “He is very commercially minded and a fount of knowledge in chancery matters.”
    Chambers and Partners 2022

    “Robust and to the point. He has a good grasp of difficult concepts.”

    “Well-prepared, calm and effective advocate who gets his point across succinctly.”
    The Legal 500 2022

    Andrew has been consistently recommended for chancery and commercial litigation in the legal directories every year since 2007.

    “His legal knowledge and analysis are superb.” “He is a very good black letter lawyer, who presents his cases very well on paper and has real clarity of thought.” “He gives very practical advice.”

    “He is very thorough, with a good handle on difficult situations.” “He really knows his stuff and is very pragmatic.”
    Chambers and Partners 2021

    “Andrew is both thorough and knowledgeable. He is approachable and very hard working. I have no hesitation in recommending and referring my clients to him safe in the knowledge that they will be very well represented both with his written advice and as an advocate at court.”

    “Attention to detail, ability to breakdown complex issues and discuss with the client in a meaningful way, honest and clear advice.”
    The Legal 500 2021

    “He gives very good, practical advice with sound legal reasoning.”

    “He is pragmatic, clear and his advocacy is very persuasive. He won’t shy away from difficult arguments.”

    “He is detailed, effective and strategic.”
    Chambers and Partners 2020

    “Personable, thorough and intelligent.”
    The Legal 500 2020

    “He does a fantastic job and really cares for his clients.”

    “He is very intelligent, as well as being straight-talking, pragmatic and diplomatic. He is sympathetic, honest and does not mess around.”

    “A good commercial man who’s very good at giving advice to corporate clients.”
    Chambers and Partners 2019

    “He reads the court well.”
    The Legal 500 2018/19

    “He is one of the true intellectuals at the Bar, and really is a smart chap.”

    “Andrew is frighteningly efficient, extremely clever and reads a case very well.”

    “He is considered and measured.”
    Chambers and Partners 2018

  • Beyond the Bar

    Andrew is widely travelled and enjoys skiing, walking and photography

  • Education

    • BA (Hons) Modern History, The Queen’s College,  Oxford (Class I, 1998)
    • Common Professional Examination, The College of Law (Distinction, 1999)
    • Bar Vocational Course, The Inns of Court School of Law (Very Competent, 2000)
    • Harmsworth Exhibition, Middle Temple (1999)

  • Appointments

    • Recorder (Northern Circuit 2023)
    • Junior Counsel to the Crown (Regional Panel A)
    • Member of the Legal Services Panel of the Government of the Virgin Islands
    • Lead Ethics Trainer for the Northern Circuit
    • Member of the Liverpool Business and Property Court Forum Committee

  • Memberships

    • Chancery Bar Association
    • Northern Business and Property Bar Association
    • Property Bar Association
    • Insolvency Lawyers Association

  • News

Wills, Trusts and Probate

Andrew has acted in disputes concerning wills, trusts and probate matters for nearly 20 years and has extensive experience of the same. He regularly deals with:

  • The validity and construction of wills including the failure of gifts
  • Contested wills on the grounds of capacity/want of knowledge and approval/fraud/undue influence/alleged proprietary estoppel affecting the ability to make dispositions
  • Claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants Act) 1975
  • Insolvent estates
  • The variation of dispositions post death
  • The removal and appointment of personal representatives
  • Claims for breach of duty against personal representatives
  • Jurisdictional issues relating to the property of deceased individuals
  • Mutual and/or mirror wills
  • Claims by and against estates for sums due
  • Issues arising as to share and/or voting rights and/or partnership shares upon death

Andrew seeks to identify and analyse the true issues in any dispute at the outset and provide clear legal and tactical advice as to how to deal best with any dispute. He is experienced not only in advocacy at trial and interim hearings but also mediations and settlement meetings and recognises the importance of those in probate disputes.

Cases

Andrew’s notable wills, trusts and probate cases include:

Successfully resisting an application to bring a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) Act 1975 by a spouse who had failed to issue in time as she was in custody awaiting trial on an allegation of conspiracy to murder the deceased.

Advising, drafting and negotiating a successful outcome to a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) Act 1975 in a multi-million pound estate.

Successfully defending various challenges to wills on grounds of undue influence/lack of knowledge and approval/fraud.

Advising the beneficiaries under a will leaving a partnership share as to their remedies and responsibilities and the extent of the partnership assets in question.

Successfully applying to remove personal representatives based upon allegations of breach of duty and misappropriation of estate assets.

Obtaining a freezing injunction against a personal representative based upon allegations of misappropriation of estate assets.

Advising as to the true construction of a discretionary trust and its impact upon a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) Act 1975.