Rupert Morris
Partner
Guernsey
Rupert is head of our Private Capital & Trusts Practice Group.
He has over 15 years’ experience as a private wealth specialist and focuses on private client advisory and structuring work.
Since qualifying as a Guernsey Advocate, Rupert also has experience as a contentious practitioner, appearing before the Guernsey courts at all levels. He is recognised as one of the leading lawyers in his field in Guernsey, and sits on the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners’ (STEP) worldwide council and is a former Chair of their Guernsey branch.
Rupert’s clients include leading trust companies, financial institutions, government departments and ultra-high net worth individuals. He helps them with all aspects of local and cross-border advisory and structuring work, impact investment, charitable structures, and regulatory matters including tax investigations and dawn raids.
Since qualifying as a Guernsey Advocate, Rupert also has experience as a contentious practitioner, appearing before the Guernsey courts at all levels. He is recognised as one of the leading lawyers in his field in Guernsey, and sits on the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners’ (STEP) worldwide council and is a former Chair of their Guernsey branch.
Rupert’s clients include leading trust companies, financial institutions, government departments and ultra-high net worth individuals. He helps them with all aspects of local and cross-border advisory and structuring work, impact investment, charitable structures, and regulatory matters including tax investigations and dawn raids.
Rupert Morris is a star performer in this efficient team of professionals – he maintains a commercial perspective on the issues at hand whilst consistently seeking to minimise the heavy human toll on the families and individuals involved in contentious matters. Rupert is proactive, reliable and accessible, warm of character, and able to convey complex issues for lay clients with ease.
Experience and recent work
Before joining Walkers in 2017, Rupert was a Guernsey Advocate in the Fiduciary and Litigation departments of two leading offshore firms. Before that he was a solicitor at a leading commercial firm in the north-west of England, and worked in London.
Qualifications
Admitted in:
- Guernsey
- England & Wales
Education:
- Certificat d'Études Juridiques Françaises et Normandes, Université de Caen Basse Normandie, France
- MA Legal Practice, University of Westminster, School of Law, UK
- PGDip Legal Practice, University of Westminster, School of Law, UK
- PGDip Law, University of Westminster, School of Law, UK
- BA East Asian Studies, University of Sheffield, UK
Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) - TEP, Deputy Chair of the Guernsey Branch and STEP Worldwide Councilmember
Guernsey Association of Trustees (GAT) - Committee member (co-opted)
The Guernsey Bar
The Law Society of England & Wales
The Chancery Bar Association (overseas member)
ARIES / INSOL International
ConTrA (Contentious Trusts Association)
AIJA (Association Internationale des Jeunes Avocats)
Guernsey Association of Trustees (GAT) - Committee member (co-opted)
The Guernsey Bar
The Law Society of England & Wales
The Chancery Bar Association (overseas member)
ARIES / INSOL International
ConTrA (Contentious Trusts Association)
AIJA (Association Internationale des Jeunes Avocats)
2024 - Chambers Global - Band 2 - "Rupert has laser insight into the technical complexities of trust litigation in Guernsey and is a superb practitioner of that art. What sets him apart from the pack, however, is that he is also an excellent non-contentious trust lawyer, bringing an appreciation of the motivations and family consequences of all litigation actions, as well as insight into solutions available outside of a courtroom."
2024 - Chambers Global - Band 2 - "Rupert is very good and very responsive. In trust law he is a top lawyer in Guernsey."
2024 - Legal 500 - Leading Individual - "I work with Rupert Morris a lot. He is my go-to Guernsey lawyer on private client and litigation matters. He is very good to work with - friendly and responsive, and he is an outstanding lawyer."
2024 - Legal 500 - Leading Individual - "Rupert Morris is a thoughtful, strategic adviser who is looking for commercial solutions that are helpful and pragmatic."
2023 - Legal 500 - Leading Individual - "Rupert Morris has assisted us with many contentious trust matters and his advice and guidance is always on point and is appreciated by our clients."
2022 - Legal 500 - Leading Individual - "Walkers provides a first rate service to clients, with solid legal expertise and knowledge of the Guernsey legal scape. What sets this team apart, at least for Rupert Morris who is both a trust law practitioner as well as a trust litigator, is the combination of understanding and expertise of both elements. This makes litigation solutions more applicable and practical as he understands the legal impact of such solutions on the practicalities of a trust administration."
2022 - Chambers HNW Guide - Offshore Trusts - "is an excellent trust practitioner and crosses over the boundary of trust advice and trust litigation. He is an excellent litigator with a cool head and sharp insight to the matters of importance."
2022 - Chambers UK – Band 3 - "Rupert goes over and above to ensure an excellent service and maintain a good working relationship with us to get the best result in a time- and cost-efficient manner." "He is an exceptionally talented lawyer, he has very good commercial judgement and provides a first-class service."
2021 - Private Client Global Elite - Ones to Watch
2021 - Legal 500 - Private Client, Trusts and Tax - Leading Individual - "Rupert Morris remains the outstanding individual partner for private client work at Walkers Guernsey. His expertise in the contentious/non-contentious crossover space is a huge asset and enables him to give incisive and commercially sensible advice, leading to excellent outcomes for clients."
2021 - Legal 500 - Private Client, Trusts and Tax - Leading Individual - "Rupert Morris is an outstanding individual who brings a personal, human touch to working for clients. Easy to get on with, hugely knowledgeable and with a deservedly-growing profile: the Rusnano decision is a major development in trusts law and is a testament to Rupert’s tenacity and experience."
2020 - Chambers UK – Band 3 - "He is very knowledgeable, very personable and has massive amounts of technical skill."
2020 - Chambers HNW Guide 2020 – Band 3 - "He has a strong reputation here and people know he is good," and "a very good contentious lawyer who can also handle trust planning work."
2020 Chambers and Partners UK Guide - Up and Coming
2019 - Chambers HNW Guide – Ranked Lawyer - "'Praised for his experience in contentious matters. A local source reports that "he is a strong litigator with trust experience," adding that "he is good at managing the details in a case and is always on top of things."
2018 - Legal 500 - (Dispute Resolution) Recommended Lawyer - Guernsey
2018 - Chambers HNW Guide – Ranked Lawyer - "'Rupert is brilliant,' enthuses one source. Others praise him as 'a thoroughly nice chap' who 'offers constructive solutions and is responsive'. 'He has a thorough understanding of this subject, he gives clear and concise advice, and he provides practical solutions'."
2017 - Citywealth Leaders List - Leading Lawyer, Contentious Trusts category - Guernsey
"Rupert is a great advocate to work with. He will consider a client’s needs and discuss the most pragmatic approach to deal with their issues while thinking outside the square to consider other options that may be available. He has a great rapport with his colleagues and competitors alike, and I would not hesitate to recommend Rupert to anyone who is seeking a referral to legal counsel."
2016 - Citywealth Leaders List - Prominent Figure, Leading Lawyers category - Guernsey
2015 - Citywealth Leaders List - Prominent Figure, Leading Lawyers category - Guernsey
Team Members
Other team members with related expertise
Rajah Abusrewil
Partner, Walkers (CI) LP
Jersey