April Plant LL B (De Montfort)

April Plant previously worked in Legacy Administration for charities and for a time was Head of Legacies at the British Heart Foundation. In this field she was involved in all aspects of Probate & Trusts. She was a founding Trustee and Director of the Institute of Legacy Management, which is now the nationally recognised body for Legacy Officers.

Areas of practice include general civil work, including contracts, personal injury and insolvency. She has a particular specialism in all areas of wills, probate and trusts - which includes Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 claims, disappointed beneficiary claims (under the White v Jones principle), contested will claims (whether under testamentary capacity or substantive validity under the Wills Act 1837), construction disputes, trust disputes, administration claims and proprietary estoppel claims. She retains a particular interest in cases with a charity involvement and the special problems that may bring. As well as contentious work, she also advises executors on administration and taxation issues and regularly acts for executors in non-estate related litigation.

 

Notable cases:

Goss v Turkentine, Chelmsford County Court 2009
Acting for the defendant executor and beneficiary in a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, the claim was struck out.

Thompson v Thompson, HC Chancery Division 2008
Claim for the administration of the estate where two of the executors were attempting to purchase the property in breach of the self dealing rule.

Publications:
Co-author of the Law Society publication Charities as Beneficiaries