Ollie Murrell

Call 2022

“Ollie is extremely knowledgeable, excellent at communicating and leaves no point unexamined, making him a go-to for real estate litigation matters. Clients quickly understand the value Ollie brings to their legal team."

For enquiries please contact

Stephen Arnold
Practice Director - Civil
0117 930 9000
Click here to email

Joe Stayte
Practice Manager - Commercial, Insolvency, Property & Estates, Court of Protection (Property & Affairs)
0117 930 9000
Click here to email

Charlotte Blair
Practice Manager - Commercial, Insolvency, Property & Estates, Court of Protection (Property & Affairs)
0117 930 9000
Click here to email

Rachael Allen
Assistant Practice Manager - Commercial, Insolvency, Property & Estates, Court of Protection (Property & Affairs)
0117 930 9000
Click here to email

  • Lincoln’s Inn Droop Scholarship
  • Lincoln’s Inn Law Journal Prize
  • Newcastle Business & Property Court Forum Prize
  • Clyde & Co Prize for Maritime Law
  • John Theodore Hoyle Prize for Inquests
  • Equity & Trusts Prize

  • LLB: 1st Class (Honours)
  • LLM: Distinction
  • Bar Vocational Course (Distinction)

  • Chancery Bar Association
  • Contentious Trusts Association

Ollie is a chancery and commercial barrister, specialising in private client, real estate, agriculture, and commercial disputes. He also acts in insolvency and professional negligence matters. A number of Ollie’s cases involve fraud allegations; he has particular experience of forgery and document manipulation allegations.

Ollie is frequently instructed in High Court litigation and in the Property Tribunals, often in high value claims. He is an experienced trial advocate at all levels of Court and Tribunal, having recently acted for the successful claimant in Packer v Packer [2025] EWHC 461 (Ch), and is regularly instructed to act in urgent and ex parte injunctions.

Ollie is a co-author of ‘A Practical Guide to Missing People and the Administration of Estates’ and sits on the committee of the Contentious Trusts Association.

Expertise

Ollie regularly represents and advises trustees and personal representatives, beneficiaries, and professional advisors in relation to:

  • Administration of trusts and estates.
  • Inheritance tax and associated taxation of trusts and estates.
  • Contentious and non-contentious trusts and estates applications.
  • Claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.
  • Claims concerning the substantive and formal validity of wills (formalities, testamentary capacity, knowledge and approval, undue influence, fraudulent calumny and other fraud).
  • Challenges to lifetime gifts and creation of trusts.
  • Construction of trust documents and wills etc, and consequential applications.
  • Duties and powers of trustees/personal representatives, including breach of trust and fiduciary duties.
  • Trusts of land and proprietary estoppel in domestic, commercial and mixed contexts.

Examples of Ollie’s recent cases:

  • Probate claim by a partner/cohabitee seeking to propound two wills in her favour, partly to the exclusion of the deceased’s children, challenged on grounds of undue influence, capacity, knowledge and approval, and due execution. The estate is believed to be valued at £4m.
  • Inheritance Act 1975 claim by a minor for provision from a £3m estate, complicated by the deceased having multiple Sharia Law families, foreign real estate, and the succession law of several Islamic countries.
  • Proprietary estoppel claim to a significant caravan park business and land arising from an invalid will in the deceased’s step-son’s favour.
  • Forfeiture claim brought by a creditor/specific legatee following the testator’s suicide.
  • Claim to set-aside five wills and the trust settlement for lack of capacity and want of knowledge and approval relating to a £1.2m estate and c.£1m trust. Involved complex capacity issues arising from the testator/donor’s head injury before making the wills/trusts.
  • 3-day trial of a cohabitee claim under the Inheritance Act 1975 arising from no provision being made in the deceased’s will. Ollie acted for the successful cohabitee  was actively opposed by the deceased’s children.
  • Ollie has advised on and acted in a number of matters concerning missing/untraceable persons and the consequent implications for trusts and estates. He is the co-author of ‘A Practical Guide to Missing People and the Administration of Estates’.

Featured Trusts, Wills, Probate and Inheritance cases


Debra Packer v Lynn Packer [2025] EWHC 461 (Ch)

Probate/fraud claim in which Ollie successfully acted for Debra who was granted letters of administration. Lynn sought to propound two draft wills; the executed versions not being located on death. The High Court pronounced against the wills as they were not validly executed, the presumption of revocation was not rebutted, and the deceased likely destroyed the draft wills. Lynn abandoned allegations of fraud and will destruction by Debra in closing submissions.


Bedford v Grieg [2025] UKFTT 1302 (PC)

Acted for a cohabitee in an application for Form A and Form II restrictions against the title of his deceased partner’s property on the basis he had a beneficial interest under a constructive/resulting trust or proprietary estoppel.


Lamb v (1) Jackson, (2) Lamb (2025, CLCC)

Ollie acted for the successful Second Defendant in a 4-day trial concerning the validity of a will (challenged on forgery/capacity grounds), abuse of an LPA, and a bare/resulting trust claim to the deceased’s home.

Ollie has litigation and advisory experience across the full range of real property and land-related matters, including:

  • Contentious and non-contentious advice relating to restrictive covenants (including discharge) and easements.
  • Adverse possession of registered and unregistered land.
  • Boundary disputes.
  • Land options, rights of pre-emption, overage clauses and similar mechanisms.
  • Land registration and alteration/rectification of the Register.
  • Mortgages and charges.
  • Trespass, nuisance and related property torts.
  • All elements of commercial and residential landlord and tenant work.
  • The full range of agricultural disputes, including farm business tenancies, agricultural holdings, farming partnerships, statutory nuisance, and agricultural-related contracts and transactions.
  • Ollie is particularly noted for his experience in disputes regarding the Party Wall etc Act 1996, including appeals from surveyors’ determination, jurisdictional challenges and injunctive proceedings.

The following is a selection of his recent cases:

  • Acting for the estate of a farmer/land owner in wide-ranging proceedings in the High Court and County Court involving the validity of agricultural/farm business tenancies, proprietary estoppel claims to options to purchased farmland, and complex capacity issues.
  • High Court administration proceedings arising from a fraudulent investment scheme, concerning the correct characterisation and transmission of land options, validity of unilateral notices, and whether put options/covenants are “security” under the Insolvency Act 1986.
  • Proprietary estoppel claim to a significant caravan park business and land arising from an invalid will in the deceased’s step-son’s favour.
  • 3-day trial regarding a boundary dispute, the scope of an adverse possession defence, and the effect of delay on injunctive relief.
  • 2-day trial in the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) concerning the reasonableness of service charges and the interpretation of insurance provisions in 26 long-leases.
  • Urgent injunction in the High Court and subsequent proceedings to restrain a breach of the Party Wall etc Act 1996, breach of covenant and nuisance.

Featured Real Property and Agriculture cases


Lord St Levan v Clemo

Ollie acted for Mr Clemo in highly publicised proceedings by the Lord St Levan for possession of land, resisted on the basis of adverse possession and proprietary estoppel The proceedings were reported in the Daily Mail, BBC and local newspapers.


Bedford v Grieg [2025] UKFTT 1302 (PC)

Acted for a cohabitee in an application for Form A and Form II restrictions against the title of his deceased partner’s property on the basis he had a beneficial interest under a constructive/resulting trust or proprietary estoppel.

Ollie has acted and advised in disputes across the following areas:

  • All types of contractual disputes.
  • Pensions, mortgages, asset finance and other financial products.
  • Financial services and consumer credit.
  • Business protection including employee covenants.
  • Company and corporate disputes (directors’ duties and misfeasance claims, unfair prejudice and other shareholder disputes).
  • Construction, ranging from domestic building claims to significant commercial construction disputes.
  • Civil fraud and asset recovery.
  • Unjust enrichment and restitution.
  • Defamation and data protection.

Ollie’s recent experience includes:

  • Urgent injunction and subsequent claim in a shareholder/director dispute involving allegations of fraudulent creation of shareholder agreements, breach of directors’ duties, and the improper removal of a director.
  • Urgent injunction by a billion-pound trading platform in business-to-business claim arising from breach of employee covenants, procuring breach of contract, conspiracy, and knowing receipt (instructed against a KC).
  • Proceedings arising from an extortion racket. Ollie acts for a company/director seeking to rescind various transfers and agreements on the basis of fraudulent misrepresentation, fraud/forgery and duress, alongside injunctive relief to prevent ongoing extortion.
  • Director/shareholder dispute arising from a failed joint venture defending a substantial claim for unpaid contributions under the joint venture agreement on capacity grounds and accounting errors.
  • Prepared and acted in adjudication proceedings concerning a major road infrastructure project, resulting in an award of £1.1m.
  • Fraudulent misrepresentation claim valued between £500k-£1m arising from a construction project regarding inflated and fake invoices submitted by a company director.

Ollie acts in a broad range of insolvency matters arising out of bankruptcy and corporate insolvency. Ollie is particularly well placed to act in insolvency matters which have property, trusts and/or estates elements or arise from that context.

The following is a sample of Ollie’s recent experience:

  • High Court administration action arising from a fraudulent investment scheme. Involved several novel issues, including: whether options/covenants are “security” within the Insolvency Act 1986; the rights of option holders in an administration; and whether put options fall within para 71, schedule B1 (led by Stefan Ramel).
  • Represented administrators in an urgent injunction brought by a former company director to frustrate the realisation and sale of company assets.
  • Represented a Right to Manage company in a claim under ss.212 and 214 Insolvency Act 1986 arising from fraudulent trading by a director.
  • Represented joint liquidators in a claim under s.127 Insolvency Act 1986 to recover a void disposition paid to a shadow director.
  • Obtained an urgent injunction in the High Court to restrain the presentation of a winding up petition.
  • Advised receivers and various creditors on the appropriate strategy for defending a claim calculated to jeopardise a restructuring plan.
  • Resisted a winding-up petition against a Northern Irish company on jurisdictional grounds
  • Various complex possession and sale applications.

Ollie has a broad professional negligence practice involving a range of professional advisors including: solicitors and barristers; surveyors, architects and other construction professionals; insurers; veterinarians; estate agents and conveyancers; and auctioneers.

Ollie’s recent experience includes:

  • Solicitor negligence claim arising from an assumed duty of care to an estate beneficiary and negligent advice which led to the beneficiary wrongly settling time-barred debts. Ollie acted for the successful beneficiary at trial.
  • Disappointed beneficiary claim against a will draftsman following a failure to adequately advise on lifetime transfers and irregularities in the drafting of five wills resulting in a series of post-death claims.
  • Negligent conveyancing claim arising from a failure to identify a development site was landlocked with no rights of access.
  • Fraudulent misrepresentation claim against a struck-off solicitor holding out as a practising solicitor whilst advising on and conducting litigation.
  • Negligent veterinarian claim arising from a failure to diagnose Avian Flu in turkeys, resulting in the cull of an entire turkey and goose farm shortly before Christmas.
  • Negligent architect claim following a series of design failures in the conversion of residential properties into holiday lets.
  • Numerous claims involving negligent builders relating to a variety of domestic and commercial construction projects.
  • Ollie regularly acts and advises on claims by and against conveyancers arising from residential and commercial property.

For enquiries please contact

Stephen Arnold
Practice Director - Civil
0117 930 9000
Click here to email

Joe Stayte
Practice Manager - Commercial, Insolvency, Property & Estates, Court of Protection (Property & Affairs)
0117 930 9000
Click here to email

Charlotte Blair
Practice Manager - Commercial, Insolvency, Property & Estates, Court of Protection (Property & Affairs)
0117 930 9000
Click here to email

Rachael Allen
Assistant Practice Manager - Commercial, Insolvency, Property & Estates, Court of Protection (Property & Affairs)
0117 930 9000
Click here to email

  • Lincoln’s Inn Droop Scholarship
  • Lincoln’s Inn Law Journal Prize
  • Newcastle Business & Property Court Forum Prize
  • Clyde & Co Prize for Maritime Law
  • John Theodore Hoyle Prize for Inquests
  • Equity & Trusts Prize

  • LLB: 1st Class (Honours)
  • LLM: Distinction
  • Bar Vocational Course (Distinction)

  • Chancery Bar Association
  • Contentious Trusts Association

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