Our Will and inheritance dispute team explore a recent case where they served with (and defended) a short notice application by a claimant to adjourn an upcoming three-day trial on medical grounds.
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Nicola Turner
Partner, Head of Contentious Trusts and Probate
01772 229849
nicola.turner@brabners.com
Nicola is a Partner and Head of Contentious Trusts and Probate.
As part of our litigation team, Nicola specialises in disputes relating to wills, inheritance, estates and trusts, as well as financial abuse of the vulnerable and property trust cases. She conducts litigation in the High Court, County Court, Probate Registry and Court of Protection.
Nicola is a full member of the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Solicitors and recognised for her work by The Legal 500, which describes her as “a talented litigator” that “stands out… in the accuracy of her judgement of cases and their likely outcome” and adds that “Nicola is not afraid to give direct advice and she never sits on the fence”.
Nicola has a varied and complex caseload, including:
- Disputes between beneficiaries and executors/trustees regarding the performance of their duties and the administration of estates or trusts, which may require executors to be replaced or the court’s involvement to resolve an impasse.
- Challenges and investigations to the validity of a will (including cases that involve undue influence or mental capacity).
- Claims for provision from estates on behalf of disappointed potential beneficiaries made under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.
- Cases with a business or commercial element, including disputes as to whether business interests and assets fall within an estate.
- Cases where Probate Registry proceedings can be used as an alternative to expensive litigation, including applications for an inventory and account or to force the production of testamentary documents.
- Disputes regarding jointly and solely owned property within the context of estate assets, including proprietary estoppel and constructive and/or resulting trusts arguments.
- Financial abuse cases, representing the most vulnerable people in society, including those who are protected parties and have (or require) an attorney or deputy, including disputes regarding lifetime transactions and/or gifts and the actions of attorneys.
Nicola receives most of her instructions through recommendation. She is not only seen as the lawyer of choice by the public in the contentious probate field, but also by fellow lawyers in their own right.
Nicola takes the time to deeply understand her clients’ priorities, end goals and the specific approach they would like taken in their case, which helps her to develop bespoke strategies to resolve cases with the best possible outcome.
Prior to joining Brabners in September 2023, Nicola worked for two Lancashire-based law firms. After training and qualifying as a solicitor in 2005, Nicola went on to become Head of Civil Litigation before holding the role of Partner and Head of Contentious Probate.
Nicola was educated at Kirkham Grammar School before studying law and criminology at The University of Sheffield. She then completed her Legal Practice Course with Distinction at The University of Central Lancashire.
Nicola grew up in Kirkham and continues to live in the Preston area with her family. She is based in our Lancashire office.
“The specialist contentious trusts and probate team at Brabners advises domestic and international clients on a broad range of matters relating to the resolution of disputes and the administration of estates, including challenges to the validity of Wills, Court of Protection proceedings and Charity Act matters involving trustees. The ‘engaging and solution-focused' practice head Nicola Turner is a contentious trusts and probate expert with strong commercial capabilities. Beth Middleton, who is also a contentious trusts and probate specialist, is another key practitioner.”
The Legal 500 2025
“Thank you so much, Nicola [Turner]. Please know that you have made a huge difference to my son’s life and my own — and we are hugely grateful for all that you have done. This is truly the first time in over four years where I don’t feel like I am carrying a ton of lead weight with me everywhere. We can finally begin to live again. So grateful to you.”
Client feedback
“Having presented Nicola Turner with our case, she really took time to understand the position fully. Then — speaking from a wealth of experience — gave an outline of her initial thoughts. Nicola was straight with us from the outset. There was no telling us what we wanted to hear, only to be disappointed and frustrated later in the process. The communication was excellent, with the exemplary level of support giving us a great deal of confidence. Although allowing us to make decisions, she was always on-hand with advice and guidance when required. This helped to keep the inevitable emotion we had at bay and focused us on rational options and legal arguments. With the support of Nicola and her experienced team, we achieved the outcome we had agreed 12 months earlier and we cannot thank her enough for the superb service.”
Inheritance Act defendants
“Nicola’s focus is always on achieving the best results for her clients… She is adept at combining empathy with professionalism. She gets the balance right, offering a service which combines the personal touch with the pragmatism required to get her client to where he or she needs to be. If I was ever to find myself embroiled in probate litigation, Nicola would be one of the people to whom I would turn.”
Mediator
“Nicola Turner took instructions and immediately formulated a strategy to deal with what became a lengthy and difficult case. At each stage, she had a clear vision of what the next stage looked like and was able to drive the other parties’ responses with great skill — allowing her to carry out in-depth comparisons of the responses and evidence provided by the other party. She advised and managed my expectations, so any decisions made were fact-based and provided a pathway to the eventual result. I have no hesitation in recommending Nicola.”
Will validity challenge defendant
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