William East

William joined chambers in 2009, having successfully completed pupillage. He has a general Chancery practice in all the areas of work undertaken in chambers.

William was educated at St John’s College, Oxford, where he read Modern History. Before joining the Bar, he worked at the Confederation of British Industry, where acted as a lobbyist on health policy issues on behalf of several FTSE 100 and 250 firms.

In 2009, William was appointed as judicial assistant to Lord Walker and Lord Dyson in the Supreme Court by a selection panel chaired by the Supreme Court’s Deputy President, Lord Hope. He took up this role in September 2009, returning to chambers in August 2010.

Practice

Since returning from the Supreme Court William has:

• Made regular appearances in the High Court and the county courts;
• Acted in the High Court in relation to a proprietary estoppel estate involving a historic landed estate;
• Acted in relation to a multi-jurisdiction trust dispute involving issues of disclosure of trust documents;
• Acted for a charity at trial in relation to a claim for termination of a business tenancy governed by the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 in the Central London County Court, including in relation to public law defences raised by the charity;
• Acted successfully in the Court of Protection in relation to an application for ratification of gifts under section 18 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005;
• Acted in relation to a complex dispute about the dissolution of a partnership;
• Advised and appeared in relation to a number of matters, including cases involving sham trusts, issues of Inheritance Tax and Capital Gains Tax as they apply to trusts, breach of trust disputes, claims for directions by trustees, claims for accounts, removal of trustees, determination of tenancies under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, and the enforceability of agreements under the Consumer Credit Act 1974.

September 2009 – July 2010: judicial assistant at the Supreme Court

• William assisted Lord Walker of Gestingthorpe and Sir John Dyson SCJ in relation to Supreme Court and Privy Council appeals and permission to appeal applications, by carrying out research and reviewing draft judgments.
• Chancery appeals heard by the Supreme Court during his time there included cases such as Roberts v Gill & Co [2010] UKSC 22 (whether special circumstances justifying derivative action by beneficiary under will) and R (Lewis) v Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council [2010] UKSC 11 (test for registration of a town or village green).
• His role also involved assisting the judges on cases outside of the Chancery field. Notable cases heard by the Supreme Court during his time there included R (on the application of E) v JFS Governing Body [2009] UKSC 15 (whether Jewish school’s entry criteria unlawful under Race Relations Act), HJ (Iran) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2010] UKSC 31 (whether imposition of ‘discretion’ test in relation to gay asylum applicants correct) and Re JR17 [2010] UKSC 27 (whether school pupil’s suspension unlawful; scope of right to education under European Convention on Human Rights).
• William was part of a delegation from the Supreme Court visiting the U.S. Supreme Court and the DC Circuit Court of Appeals in March 2010.

Prior to going on secondment at the Supreme Court:

• Advised in relation to the tax effect of a disclaimer of income due to the settlor of a discounted gift trust.
• Advised in relation to obtaining a presumption of death order for a missing person.
• In pupillage William gained experience in a wide range of Chancery topics such as cases involving allegations of professional negligence in relation to will drafting, the taxation treatment of trusts, contentious probate and undue influence claims, trusts of land issues under TOLATA 1996 and the effect for Capital Gains Tax purposes of a joint owner in land acquiring the remaining share in that land.

Pro bono work

William is a keen member of the Bar Pro Bono Unit and has advised and appeared in a number of matters. He received a Special Mention in the 2011 Pro Bono Awards from a panel of judges including Lord Goldsmith QC. He is willing to consider working pro bono through the Unit or on instruction from a solicitor in deserving cases.

Professional Memberships

William is a member of the Chancery Bar Association and the Lord Denning Society.

Publications and Lecturing

'Agricultural property relief: recent developments', Elder Law Journal, 2012, 2(2), 198-203.

'Drafting a deathbed will', Solicitors Journal, 2012, 156(13) Supp (Private Client Focus March 2012), 9-11.

'The Court of Protection: no longer the "secret" court?', Elder Law Journal, 2011, 1(4), 415-423.

'The removal of trustees by the court', Trusts and Estates Law and Tax Journal, March 2011, with Penelope Reed QC.

'Surely some mistake? The widening jurisdiction of the court to set aside voluntary transactions', Trust Quarterly Review (Volume 8, Issue 1, February 2010), pp. 17-20. The article can be found on the STEP site here.

'Justice in the modern age: the new Supreme Court', Counsel (November 2009), pp. 14-16.

Education

2008: Called to the Bar

Bar Vocational Course (Very Competent)

2007: Lincoln’s Inn Lord Denning and Hardwick Scholarships

Runner-up, Times Law Awards

Graduate Diploma in Law (Commendation)

2006: Lobbyist and health policy adviser at the Confederation of British Industry

2005: Intern at the U.S. Congress (Office of Congressman Don Young)

2003: HWC Davis Prize for the highest mark in Modern History exams across Oxford University; St John’s College Scholarship

2002 – 2005: St John’s College, Oxford (Modern History)