Kirsty is the partner who heads up the private client team in Bower Bailey’s Witney office. She is known for her approachable manner and she is able to explain complex legal matters in a straightforward way. Kirsty has particular empathy when working with elderly and vulnerable clients and she appreciates that much of the work she deals with can be particularly sensitive and emotive. As such, she tries to make the process as simple and straight-forward as possible.

Kirsty is a Full Member of The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (‘STEP’). STEP is a highly regarded, global organisation that ensures its members have up-to-date, specialist estate, tax and trust knowledge. She is also a Full Accredited member of SFE. Kirsty regularly speaks at functions, including for members of the public and charity events.

Areas of expertise:

  • Wills
  • Tax planning
  • Probate and estate administration
  • Cross-border estates
  • Lasting Powers of Attorney
  • Mental capacity issues
  • Court of Protection applications (financial and welfare deputyships / statutory Wills / gifting applications / retrospective authority)
  • Trust creation and administration
  • Advising executors/attorneys/deputies/trustees in their duties and responsibilities

Recent work:

  • Preparing complex Wills for a high-net-worth couple with children from previous relationships. The Wills helped them to achieve a balance between providing freedom/protection for the survivor, whilst also safeguarding their respective children’s inheritance.
  • Preparing Wills for an unmarried couple. Provided inheritance tax planning advise and various options to the clients. Drafted the Wills in a way that will save their combined estates approximately £300,000 in inheritance tax.
  • Acted in the winding up of a large and complex intestate estate which required locating and tracing several distant relatives, one of whom had since died. Ensured the estate was administered in the most tax efficient way.
  • Acted in an estate where the surviving spouse found the sudden death of his wife incredibly difficult to deal with. Assisting him in navigating the whole process from start to finish to ensure that the estate could be administered as quickly and smoothly as possible, and providing him with as much support and guidance throughout as possible.
  • Advised clients in respect of a complex Will trust. Advised them of their duties, responsibilities, and powers as trustees. Assisted them in understanding the provisions of the trust and advising them of options as to how best to deal with the trust moving forward.
  • Acted in several applications to the Court of Protection for authority to make statutory Wills and gifts.
  • Acted for the family of someone with high functioning Autism and Aspergers who was struggling to manage his finances and was incurring significant debt. Securing a Deputyship Order from the Court of Protection and assisting them in navigating their way through the Court/OPG process.
  • Acted as a court-appointed deputy for a client who had lost mental capacity and who had no family in the UK to assist. Ensured the client’s finances were correctly managed and his wishes were carried out.

Personal interests:

Outside work, Kirsty enjoys yoga, running and baking. She also has a love of horses.