Spear’s Review

Kirstie McGuigan, a private client partner at Winston Taylor (the firm formed from the merger of Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing in 2026), specialises in contentious and non-contentious trust and estate matters.

On the contentious side, she acts on disputes relating to the formation or administration of trusts and estates – which are often large and complex – in the UK and internationally. These disputes often involve claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, or capacity issues.

As part of her non-contentious work, McGuigan advises HNW and UHNW individuals and families on estate, succession and tax planning; clients also include trustees of high-value trusts. She has experience in the areas of probate, succession and wills, particularly those involving cross-border assets, landed estates and heritage tax issues.

McGuigan trained at Thomson Snell & Passmore before joining Taylor Wessing in 2007. She was made partner at the firm in 2013.

Adviser Profile

Kirstie McGuigan advises ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families and trustees on complex private client and intergenerational planning matters as well as on high-value trust and estate disputes. She is renowned for her strengths – and uniqueness – in family private wealth advisory and private client litigation, offering clients expert guidance on fairness, entitlement, control and tax issues within intricate legal structures. With an outstanding reputation for handling large trusts, contested estates and Court of Protection matters, Kirstie brings a holistic and commercial perspective to each engagement, delivering market-leading support to both UHNW domestic and international clients.