About Oliver Hallam

Accredited Mediator (RSPP) MA (Hons) TEP

I am a full time accredited mediator and solicitor who works nationwide. I trained as a solicitor at Allen and Overy LLP in London before spending over ten years at Wrigleys Solicitors LLP in Leeds where I was a partner in the private client team.

I am a first-class communicator and am quick to build trust. I use a psychotherapeutic approach to mediation to help parties find workable solutions to a wide range of emotive and contentious disputes. My background in private client law gives me the ability to help parties with their most personal and private affairs within the complex framework of trust, tax, company and property law. I believe that no matter how complicated and entrenched the problem, it is nearly always possible for participants to achieve a mediated solution.

I have a special interest in helping families find ways to solve generational issues that often arise from business succession and inheritance issues. I help families to create plans for the future of their businesses, farms and landed estates before conflict and costs escalate.

My experience

My legal experience

Private and family businesses

  • Contract and shareholder disputes
  • Succession issues – helping owners of multi-generational family businesses, farms and landed estates to agree long term succession plans to protect family assets and private company shareholdings.
  • Structural and strategic issues – restructuring mixed businesses, landed estates, companies and partnerships to maximise tax reliefs, working with all parties, businesses and stakeholders to achieve consensus on the vision for the future.

Trusts, elder law and tax

  • Trustees and beneficiaries – trustee and beneficiary rights and duties and helping trustees maintain constructive dialogue with disgruntled beneficiaries.
  • Taxation – negotiating claims for business and agricultural property relief, gifts out of excess income and issues of domicile and residence with HMRC.
  • Elder law, attorneys, deputies, carers and families – statutory wills, helping attorneys to agree ways to carry out their duties.

Probate and inheritance

  • Breakdown in relations – helping families to resolve tensions after bereavement and agree the structure of family assets for the next generation.
  • Procedural issues – administering a wide variety of deceased estates made up of a complex mix of high value assets throughout the UK and overseas.

Property

  • Resolving agricultural, land and property related issues including neighbour, landlord and tenant, private water supplies, easements, covenants, public rights of way, planning and overage issues.

Recent mediation experience

  • Landlord and tenant – equestrian dilapidations/reinstatement
  • Landlord and tenant – lease termination issues
  • Director/Shareholder – division of private business
  • Property – right of way and misrepresentation
  • Agricultural – farm company distributions
  • Inheritance / Agricultural – promissory estoppel
  • Property – right of way, overage terms, restrictive covenants
  • Construction – asbestos – breach of contract, non-payment
  • Neighbour – boundary issue
  • Neighbour – family dispute
  • Inheritance / agricultural – proprietary estoppel, farm partnership, AHA tenancy
  • Inheritance – claim under Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975
  • Property – residential property portfolio
  • Construction – non-payment, breach of contract
  • Commercial – contribution claim
  • Agricultural – valuation and division of farm/partnership/assets
  • Neighbour – family dispute
  • Construction – breach of contract, non-payment
  • Property – overage terms
  • Court of Protection – deputyship
  • Inheritance – terms of disputed will
  • Inheritance – disputed will
  • Property – landlord tenant dilapidations
  • Inheritance – claim under Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975
  • Inheritance – pre-action contentious probate
  • Director/shareholder – dispute re private business
  • Director/shareholder – dispute re deadlock in private business
  • Inheritance – disputed will
  • Breach of Contract – property
  • Property – encroachment
  • Agricultural – breach of contract (dairy)
  • Inheritance – claim under Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975
  • Inheritance – claim under Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975
  • Property – breach of covenant / charity

Qualifications and Memberships

  • Solicitor
  • Accredited Mediator – Regent’s School of Psychology and Psychotherapy, London
  • Member of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (ACIArb)
  • Panel Member – Association of Northern Mediators
  • Panel Member – Kearns Mediation
  • ARCH Mediation, Harrogate – Community Mediation
  • Online Mediation – Relate London North West and Calm Scotland
  • Elder & Vulnerable Adult Mediation – Craig Ward
  • Trust and Estate Practitioner Diploma (TEP) – The Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP)
  • STEP Advanced Certificate in Family Business Advising (Distinction)
  • The Law Society

Awards

Named as one of Private Client Practitioner’s Top 35 Under 35 for 2013. This shortlist aims to recognise and promote the rising stars within the private client professions, which include lawyers, accountants and trustees.

Publications and Seminars

Published in the journal of the Probate Section of the Law Society, spoken inter alia to the Regional Branch of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, the Society of Later Life Advisors and the Personal Finance Society.