Rupert Morris

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.

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.

Legal 500

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)

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."

Chambers UK 2022 – 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."

202 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."

Chambers UK 2020 – Band 3 "He is very knowledgeable, very personable and has massive amounts of technical skill."

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

Chambers HNW Guide 2019 – 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

Chambers HNW Guide 2018 – 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'."

Citywealth Leaders List 2017 - 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."

Citywealth Leaders List 2016 - Prominent Figure, Leading Lawyers category - Guernsey

Citywealth Leaders List 2015 - Prominent Figure, Leading Lawyers category - Guernsey

Team Members