Georgia Bedworth has a thriving traditional chancery practice with particular focus on trusts and estates matters, both contentious and non-contentious. Georgia’s strong real property background gives her an edge when dealing with landed estates, as well as when advising on any trust or probate matter with a property element. As well as having considerable experience and expertise in contentious chancery matters, such as probate disputes, 1975 Act claims and removal applications, Georgia also undertakes a considerable amount of non-contentious work, including capital taxes planning. Georgia is frequently instructed in cases concerning multi-million pound trusts and estates. She has acted in a number of applications under the Variation of Trusts Act 1958 to vary high value settlements including those with a foreign element.
In addition, Georgia’s practice includes advising and litigating on pure property matters. Georgia also has considerable expertise in Court of Protection (Property and Affairs) matters.
Ranked in Band 1 by Chambers UK 2022 in Trusts, Chancery: Traditional and Cour tof Protection: Property and Affairs.
Court of Protection
Georgia is recognised by Chambers UK Bar Guide 2016 as a leading junior in Court of Protection (Property and Affairs) work. She is experienced in a range of Court of Protection mattes, including statutory will applications, applications for the approval of gifts, applications for the removal of attorneys and deputies.
Chambers UK Bar Guide 2016 comments that Georgia “has that ability that works very well in the Court of Protection to take a non-aggressive stance but nonetheless fight her client’s corner.” and also that “She is very diligent, very well prepared and does an effective job.” Previous editions of Chambers UK report that “She has encyclopaedic knowledge of the Court of Protection jurisdiction and clearly and simply condenses a myriad of turgid facts into a cohesive, clear, comprehensive account of events”.
Reported Cases:
- Re JDS [2012] EWHC 302 (COP), [2012] WTLR 475: Instructed by the Deputy in the leading case on the issue of how the best-interests test under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 should be applied in the context of an application for authority to make a gift for the purpose of mitigating future inheritance tax out of a personal-injury damages award.
- Acting for the applicant on an application for a statutory will where there was an order for P to attend the final hearing and it was necessary to join the Attorney General.
- Acting for the Attorney on an application to authorise a substantial lifetime gift of shares to a charity which was not a beneficiary under P’s will.
- Acting for the applicant on a successful Application to remove an attorney under an LPA who had been appointed two months after meeting P.
- Acting for an attorney under an EPA in a complex family dispute which raised issues as to whether it was in P’s best interests for her home to be sold and a new home purchased near to her daughter as well as a claim to remove the attorney.
Recommendations
Qualifications
- Diplock Scholar, Middle Temple
- BCL (Distinction), St Hugh’s College, Oxford
- BA Hons (First Class), St Hugh’s College, Oxford
Associations & Memberships
- Chancery Bar Association
Publications
Speaking Engagements
Georgia speaks frequently at both in house seminars, MBL seminars and LexisNexis Webinars.
Awards
- Lawyer Monthly – Estate and Trusts Barrister of the Year 2016
Georgia Bedworth is a self-employed, independent barrister whose practice is governed by the Code of Conduct of the Bar of England and Wales. She is regulated by The Bar Standards Board [Bar Ref 42904] and is fully insured with the Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund [BMIF Ref 2360/055] to provide legal services, please refer to the BMIF website for full details of the world-wide cover provided. She is registered for VAT under the reference 799330581.
