Testimonials

I found Benedict Smith incredibly helpful in our dispute with our father’s widow, his approach was helpful in that we felt supported and protected at this very stressful time. He was very knowledgeable about the law as it applied to our situation.’
Legal 500 2024
I am very happy with the level of care and service I receive from Benedict Smith, and I have and will recommend Benedict to others
Legal 500 2024
Benedict Smith is genuinely caring in nature and always maintains high levels of professionalism in doing so. I have also worked with his junior assistants, and they display characteristics that clearly demonstrate Benedict’s ‘trademark
Legal 500 2024
Benedict Smith is extremely knowledgeable in his field; he is always available for me on the phone should I need to speak with him
Legal 500 2024
Benedict Smith worked brilliantly at keeping myself and executors up to date a soon as they had any relevant information
Legal 500 2024
Their understanding of cases, in particular, Benedict Smith and his support, both legal and emotional. Understanding my needs, appointing only the necessary external advice
Legal 500 2024
I have worked with a few members of staff from this firm but I have found that Benedict Smith has been amazing. I have always felt that he goes above and beyond to help me sort any issues. I have worked with solicitors in the past but I have never known any to take such a vested interest in wanting to help. Benedict is very knowledgeable in his area of expertise and has gone to great lengths to ensure he is always one step ahead of the other legal party. His knowledge has allowed us to predict and plan in a way to keep control of the matter.
In my many years of experience, Benedict Smith has been as good as they come...Benedict was so patient and empathetic. I am immensely grateful to him.
Over the last two years Benedict Smith impressed us greatly with his knowledge and willingness to help. He is also good at explaining legal points and weighing up alternatives. He has a very friendly manner which makes him very approachable, and understands when informality help build client relations and more importantly gets the points across
Legal 500 2023
I have worked with Benedict Smith of Machins Solicitors LLP on a number of cases. I would describe him as a stand-out instructing associate solicitor who is very much motivated a desire to achieve the best possible outcome for his clients. He has an excellent grasp of the complex law associated with contentious trust and probate work and draws from a deep pool of experience – to the benefit of his clients. Benedict is collegiate in his approach to working with counsel but is also willing to confront challenging aspects of a case where appropriate.
Legal 500 2023
I have worked with Benedict Smith for a number of years now and he never fails to impress. He s a talented solicitor with a growing reputation in the industry in contentious probate matters. He is adept at dealing with tricky matters and he has a forensic eye for detail backed up by a commercial mind which is always seeking the most beneficial result for his clients
Legal 500 2023
Benedict was a professional solicitor and am extremely happy with the level of service and his advice with the issues that were being dealt with, I highly recommend him and if I need his services again, which I hope I won’t but I would definitely use Benedict again
Google 5*
The professional way in which I was dealt with would make me confident to recommend others.
Benedict is very resourceful and gives that personal service which i have found is missing at other practices. Benedict explains the processes and legal speak in easy bite size pieces so they are easy to understand. Overall, an excellent service with no faults.

About Benedict

Benedict qualified as a solicitor in 2014 and joined Machins in 2018.  Whilst Benedict has a broad commercial and property practice, his particular specialism is contentious probate, an area where he has established a well-earned reputation across the region with both clients and fellow professionals alike.

Benedict’s contentious probate work covers a broad range of matters, frequently dealing with claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, challenges to wills on a variety of grounds and often complicated estate and trust disputes. This work is often carried out in conjunction with other departments within the firm, especially our Private Client and Family teams. Benedict commercial and property work encompasses contract disputes and debt claims, company and shareholder disputes, possession claims and property litigation.

Benedict is commended for his eye for detail and an ability to dissect lengthy and complex matters swiftly and bring focus to key issues. His lateral thinking when approaching difficult problems and an ability to find innovative solutions to complex problems is impressive and appreciated by clients. Benedict has established himself as a formidable opponent who is committed to fighting his client’s corner with tenacity and confidence, whilst at the same time maintaining a commercial outlook and a clear-headed and realistic attitude to settlement discussions. In particular, Benedict has an ability to assist clients in looking beyond the emotional background of disputes in search for a beneficial outcome.

Benedict has worked alongside colleagues, both within the Dispute Resolution team and in other departments, to expand Machins’ advisory services. Most notably, Benedict has presented a series of popular webinars, often in collaboration with our Private Client team, dealing with common contentious probate issues and advising on how to minimise risk, as well as recently presenting webinars on contentious probate matters. Recordings of the webinars and podcasts can be found here.

Benedict is listed as a ‘Rising Star’ in the 2024 edition of the Legal 500.

Specialist practice areas

  • Contentious probate
  • Co-ownership disputes
  • Debt collection
  • Landlord and tenant disputes
  • Commercial litigation and mediation

Latest news by Benedict Smith

Fixed Recoverable Costs – so what’s been fixed?

The introduction of fixed recoverable costs (FRC) has been described as the biggest change to civil litigation for a decade.  The FRC regime will attempt to fix the amount of legal costs that the successful party can claim from the unsuccessful party in litigation.  The aim of the reform is to provide certainty to parties

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