Richard has a Chancery practice encompassing trusts, property and civil disputes before all levels of the judiciary including the Supreme Court.
Richard specialises in contentious trusts and estates matters. He has a wealth of experience in a wide spectrum of disputes, acting for trustees, beneficiaries and protectors. His work has an international element and, amongst other jurisdictions, he has recently been involved in high value cases involving England & Wales, Gibraltar, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the BVI, the United States, Jersey and Guernsey. Richard is well placed to advise in relation to matters concerning inheritance, contentious probate, capacity, undue influence and related matters.
Recently he has been engaged in:
- Acting in applications for the removal of trustees, protectors and executors;
- Cross-border litigation concerning allegations of breach of trust or fiduciary duty by trustees or protectors;
- Representing high net worth beneficiaries in high value estate litigation concerning challenges to the validity of wills, mental capacity, lifetime gifts and claims under the Inheritance Act;
- Acting for some of the UK’s oldest and largest estates and handling applications concerning long standing family trusts.
Richard also deals with many high value commercial disputes, including actions for breach of contract, misrepresentation and professional negligence by solicitors and other professionals.
Finally, Richard has expertise in real estate law. These skills provide a sought-after synergy with Richard’s command of the area of contentious trusts, making him particularly able to handle all aspects of disputes where the areas of trust law and property law collide – for example in relation to cohabitee ownership disputes or where property holdings form an important part of a trust’s assets.
Richard studied Modern History at Oxford University.
Qualified 2006, joined Payne Hicks Beach 2004, promoted to senior associate 2013, partner 2015.
Chambers UK Guide 2025 ranks Richard Manyon as ‘Band 1’ for ‘Private Wealth Disputes’.
The Legal 500 UK 2025 ranks Richard Manyon as a ‘Leading Partner’ for the ‘Private Client: Contentious Trusts and Probate’ category.
Richard holds the STEP Advanced Certificate in Trust Disputes, in which he achieved a Distinction (highest mark awarded worldwide).
Ranked as a “Leading Individual” in Chambers HNW 2023 for Private Wealth Disputes.
Comments in Chambers include:
“Richard is erudite, conscientious and commercially savvy. He has a nuanced grasp of the intricacies of complex matters.” Chambers HNW 2023
“Richard is a very strong litigator. He is clear, decisive, and acts quickly. His analysis is both subtle and pragmatic, which is a successful combination.” Chambers HNW 2023
“‘at the top of his game’ owing to his ‘infectious personality’ that makes him very popular with clients.” Chambers HNW 2022
“Richard brings great experience and really good judgement to matters. He is a really good person to have on your side in tricky cases.” Chambers HNW 2022
“Richard is regularly involved in major trusts disputes, including those with cross-border or offshore elements. He is brilliant – confident, clever, numerate and practical. He is hugely tenacious, as well as being a deft hand at managing opponents.” Chambers HNW 2021
Comments in The Legal 500 UK include:
“Richard Manyon is now one of the foremost practitioners in this field, despite still being relatively young. He has had the biggest role in making PHB into a Tier 1 firm. He is incredibly smart but also very commercial in his outlook. He is a formidable opponent and an excellent person to work with” The Legal 500 UK 2024
“Richard Manyon is a very large presence in our market.” The Legal 500 UK 2024
“Richard Manyon is a skilled litigator in this area.” The Legal 500 UK 2024
“Richard Manyon is extremely clever and really fights his client’s corner” The Legal 500 UK 2024
“Now established as one of the ‘go to’ partners in contentious trusts and probate” The Legal 500 UK 2023
“Richard Manyon is something of a force of nature but a real expert who knows the area inside out. He is an excellent tactician” The Legal 500 UK 2023
“Richard Manyon is one of the standout partners in this area in the country. He has been a huge part of why PHB has built such a big following in these areas” The Legal 500 UK 2023
“Richard Manyon is incredibly bright and an excellent strategist. He has quick and sound judgment and an ability to cut through the distractions to the essence of a problem.” The Legal 500 UK 2023
Ranked as a “Top Recommended Contentious Tax & Trust Lawyer” in Spear’s 500 2024.
Richard Manyon is listed in the Spear’s Tax & Trust Adviser’s Index 2024 as a “Top Recommended” Contentious Trust Lawyer.
Recent Insights
Richard is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), the Property Litigation Association, ConTrA and the London Solicitors Litigation Association. He is on the board of ConTrA and is also a co-chair of the Trusts in Litigation conference (2018 Iceland, 2019 Greece, 2020 Finland) and of the Cambridge University Private Client Summer School. He is a regular speaker at international conferences including this year in the Channel Islands, France and Bermuda.
May 2023: FIRE Conference Vilamoura
March 2023: Richard spoke at and chaired the Informa Connect Trusts in Litigation conference Venice
February 2023: FIRE Starters Global Summit Dublin
Richard Manyon to speak at Thought Leaders 4 Private Client
September 22, 2023
Stress testing trust processes and structures: Can anything be bombproof?
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Where there’s a will there’s a WAR – Richard Manyon for The Daily Mail
January 31, 2023
Contentious trusts and estates expert Richard Manyon features in The Daily Mail’s article, &#...
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Payne Hicks Beach’s private wealth and trusts experts to speak at International Trust and Private Client conferences in Guernsey and Jersey
May 27, 2022
The Private Wealth sector is facing an almost unprecedented set of challenges born from the global c...
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TL4 & ConTrA Private Client Summer School
August 11, 2021
Payne Hicks Beach’s Jessica Henson and Richard Manyon are respectively chairing and speaking at ...
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