Elizabeth Sainsbury
Partner
Elizabeth Sainsbury is a Partner and accredited mediator advising individuals, families and their advisers on complex trust, succession and private wealth disputes. She works with clients at pivotal moments, supporting difficult decision-making by providing thoughtful guidance, and clear, robust and strategic advice when it is needed most.
Elizabeth has advised on many substantial multi-jurisdictional matters, including the Pugachev and Scherbakov litigation (acting for the Independent Administrators of a valuable multi-jurisdictional estate). Her clients include high-net-worth individuals and families, family offices, trustees, protectors, settlors, beneficiaries, family businesses, charities, shareholders and entrepreneurs. Whatever the nature of the dispute, clients value her ability to balance technical expertise with empathy and understanding. She regularly acts in proceedings before the English courts and has experience coordinating litigation and settlement strategies across multiple jurisdictions. Recent testimonials call her “a real star” (Chambers HNW 2025) and praise her ability to lead major trust and estate cases with technical expertise, efficiency and exceptional attention to detail.
Elizabeth’s practice covers the full range of contentious trust and estate matters. This includes disputes about the validity of Wills (including claims concerning undue influence, duress and fraud, lack of capacity, and want of knowledge and approval), Inheritance Act claims, multi-jurisdictional estate administrations, breach of trust and fraud claims, sham trust allegations, professional negligence issues, and cross-border asset tracing. She also has experience advising on and stress-testing succession plans and wealth structures for families, family businesses and their advisers. Elizabeth is particularly experienced in situations involving complex and fraught family disputes. She is known as someone who “goes the extra mile”, combining a collaborative working style with practical, solutions focused advice.
As an accredited mediator in England & Wales and California, Elizabeth focuses on resolving disputes wherever possible. Her mediation practice complements her litigation work: she is known for her calm manner, her ability to de-escalate tensions, and her skill in helping parties reach constructive, lasting agreements.
