Sidney Ross was called to the Bar in 1983 at the age of 51, after a career of 24 years lecturing in Chemistry in the University of London. His practice is entirely in the field of trusts and estates, with particular emphasis on claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. He is a frequent contributor of articles on family provision and will construction to legal journals.
The 4th edition of Ross on Inheritance Act Claims was recently published to positive reviews, including a book review in the April 2018 edition of Trusts and Estates Law & Tax Journal.
With a foreword by The Rt Hon Lord Justice Henderson, Inheritance Act Claims text book covers the operation of the Act in circumstances where it is claimed that the dispositions of the deceased’s estate, whether by will or under the law of intestacy, failed to make reasonable financial provision for the claimant and explains the law, practice and procedure.
The 4th Edition of his textbook is published by Sweet & Maxwell in the Trusts, Wills and Probate Library series. The hardback (ISBN: 9780414060814) can be ordered direct from Sweet & Maxwell by clicking this link: rluki.orders@thomsonreuters.com. The production of a fifth edition for publication in the autumn of 2023 is currently under consideration.
Sidney officially graduated from the University of York with a PhD in History in August 2020. The title of the thesis is ‘Establishing the authentic corpus of the Latin verse of Paul the Deacon: a philological, textual and statistical study’.
Inheritance, Probate & Wills
The principal activity in this practice area is concerned with claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, and work is also undertaken in relation to contentious administration matters, disputes as to the validity of wills, proprietary estoppel claims and inheritance disputes generally.
Reported Cases:
- Singer v Isaac [2001] W.T.L.R. 1045: 1975 Act claim by surviving spouse.
- Gold v Hill [1999] 1 F.L.R. 42: Secret trusts.
Qualifications
- PhD, University of York (2020)
- BA, Open University (2010)
- LLB, University of London (1982)
- MSc University of London (1966)
- PhD, University of London (1958)
- BSc, University of London (1955)
Associations & Memberships
- British Academy of Forensic Science (Fellow)
- Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Fellow)
- Chancery Bar Association
- Institute of Family Law Arbitrators
- Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners
Publications
- Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, claims by adult children, Trust Quarterly Review (2021), 19 (4).
- Applications for extensions of time under s.4 of the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, Trust Quarterly Review (2020), 18 (3).
- Inheritance Act Claims (Sweet & Maxwell): 1st edition, (1993); 2nd edition, (2000), practitioner series edition, (2005); 3rd edition (2011) and 4th edition (2017).
- The superannuated concept-Domicile as a barrier to family provision claims: Trust Quarterly Review 11(3) (2013) 27-46.
- Ilott v Mitson-incremental development or revolutionary departure?: Trust Quarterly Review 9(4) (2011) 12-19.
- Inheritance Act Claims by Dependants: Family Law 40, (2010) 490-499.
- 1975 Act claims by surviving spouses-the impact of Miller and Charman: Trust Quarterly Review 5(4) (2007) 35-46.
- Forfeiture clauses in wills: Trust Quarterly Review 1(1) (2003), 7-17.
- Personal representatives and claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975; TACT review (Quarterly Review of the Association of Corporate Trustees) (2002), issue 20, p.8.
- The implications of White v White for Inheritance Act claims, Part I [2001] Family Law 547; Part II, [2001] Family Law 619.
- 17 other articles in Family Law Journal, Family Law Week, Resolution, Elderly Client Adviser and Trusts and Estates Law Journal.
Sidney Ross is a self-employed, independent barrister whose practice is governed by the Code of Conduct of the Bar of England and Wales. He is regulated by The Bar Standards Board [Bar Ref 19392] and is fully insured with the Bar Mutual Indemnity Fund [BMIF Ref 2360/075] to provide legal services, please refer to the BMIF website for full details of the world-wide cover provided. He is NOT registered for VAT .
