Maryam Oghanna

Senior Associate, Contentious Trusts and Estates

Maryam is a Senior Associate and Solicitor Advocate in the Contentious Trusts and Estates team.

She advises on a broad spectrum matters for high net worth individuals, trustees and professionals, across numerous jurisdictions. Her experience includes advising on claims relating to breach of trust, dishonest assistance, trustee removals, validity challenges, issues relating to mental capacity and charity law. She also works closely with her private client colleagues in an advisory capacity on a variety of matters including sanctions, trust structuring and family governance.

Maryam is ranked in The Legal 500 2024 edition as a Rising Star. She was shortlisted in the Star Associate category at the upcoming Chambers HNW Awards 2023. She was named as Young Practitioner of the Year at the STEP Private Client Awards in 2020 and listed as one of the Top 35 Private Client Lawyers under 35 by eprivateclient in 2022.

Maryam joined Forsters in 2021.

Contentious Trusts and Estates Experience:

Maryam is qualified in England & Wales and advises on matters across multiple jurisdictions worldwide. Some examples include:

Advice to fiduciaries:

• acting for a trustee in relation to a number of matters arising out of various family trusts including a dispute between the protector and the beneficiaries;
• advising an international property company in a dispute with a trust company in Jersey;
• acting for an international bank to defend a claim for dishonest assistance and breach of fiduciary duty brought by administrators of a company.

Advice to beneficiaries:

• advising a group of beneficiaries on a number of matters concerning allegations of breach of duty by professional trustees and the protector;
• acting for a beneficiary seeking to remove the trustee of family trust, resulting in a successful removal and replacement of the trustee;
• advising a beneficiary of a complex trust structure in the context of an acrimonious family dispute.

Capacity:

• acting for the appointed committee of an incapacitated individual in Hong Kong in relation to a family dispute regarding the division of her estate.

Charities

• advising a range of charities with differing structures on all aspects of governance;
• has extensive experience of advising new charities on registration with the Charity Commission;
• acts for charities in a contentious context, including disputes arising out of orders of the family courts.

Other experience

• Sanctions: advising clients in relation to the novel and changing sanctions and regulatory issues, including on recent sanctions relating to Russia;
• Art Law: acts for individuals, investors, galleries and art dealers on art law and luxury assets on a regular basis;
• Professional negligence: advises clients on professional negligence claims against solicitors and other professionals.

Pro bono and trusteeships:

Maryam is dedicated to working with vulnerable people and increasing access to justice. She has represented numerous litigants in person in the County Court, Employment Tribunal and High Court.

She is also a volunteer advocate for the Asylum Support Appeals Project, representing asylum seekers in the Asylum Support Tribunal on a regular basis. Maryam was appointed as a trustee of the Asylum Support Appeals Project in 2019.

Directories and awards:

She was also highly commended by LawWorks in their Pro Bono Junior Lawyer award in 2019.

Awards and recognitions

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