Holly Challenger

Holly has significant experience dealing with contentious private client matters, both onshore and offshore. Some examples of her work include:

• ATH v BNU BVIHPB2024/0170 (10 July 2025) – led by Dakis Hagen KC, successful in seeking a declaration that BNU was not, and had never been, the personal representative of SSQ in the BVI. This resulted in the derivative proceedings which BNU had launched being declared a nullity, and the freezing injunction obtained by BNU for US$268million being discharged.
• Culgoa Limited v Basement Investments Limited BVIHCMAP2024/0011 (26 February 2026) – led by David Brownbill KC in the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal. Successful in responding to an appeal regarding the construction of a share transfer form, where the central question was whether certain shares were held by Basement on express bare trust for Culgoa.
• Ramji v Harvey & Ors [2023] EWHC 1664 (Ch); [2024] 1 P & CR DG 11 – appeared unled in respect of a five-day trial in the High Court in London, acting on behalf of the Second, Third and Eighth Defendants. Undue influence successfully proven in relation to a lifetime transaction, resulting in the transfer of a property valued at circa £900,000 being set aside. Further, successfully defended a claim for an interest in another of the deceased’s properties on the basis of a constructive trust.
• Ramji v Harvey & Ors [2023] EWHC 1937 (Ch); [2023] Costs LR 1047 – successful in seeking an award of indemnity costs on the basis that the Claimant and Ninth Defendant had given false evidence in pursuit of financial gain.
• Steels v Steels & Anor [2023] EWHC 2985 (Ch); [2023] All ER (D) 124; [2024] EGLR 4 – acted for the Respondents in an appeal to the High Court in respect of a proprietary estoppel claim arising out of assurances that a property in which the parties lived would be passed to the Respondents on the death of the Appellant. The three-day first instance trial involved consideration of the decision in Guest v Guest, which was handed down on the first day of trial.
• Advising the litigation friend of minor beneficiaries as to the suitability of a settlement in a substantial estate which was subject to a claim under the Inheritance Act by the deceased’s wife.
• Advising as to meaning of ‘child of the family’ within section 1(1)(d) of the Inheritance Act, where the claimants had never known the deceased during their minority.
• Acting for the claimant seeking permission to bring a claim out of time under section 4 of the Inheritance Act in an estate of over £6million.
• Advising the executors of an estate as to the tax and other implications of a pension scheme. The executors sought advice as to whether a pension nomination made by the deceased during his lifetime was binding and the implications this would have on the inheritance tax payable in relation to the deceased’s estate.
• Often advising as to the IHT and/or CGT implications of settlement agreements in respect of claims under the Inheritance Act.
• Advising the settlor of a trust in relation to a difficult claim for recission, whereby she sought to have the trust declared void on the ground of mistake.
• Advising as to the position in relation to unborn beneficiaries in the context of an application to bless a proposed distribution of trust assets.