Emily is a Managing Associate in the Private Wealth Disputes team in the firm's Private department. She was recognised as a "key lawyer" in the Legal 500 2025 for Contentious Trusts and Probate and described as "surely a star of the future. Super bright and fantastic with clients."
Emily regularly advises on a wide-range of complex and high-value disputes concerning trusts (both on and offshore), wills, international succession, Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 claims, proprietary estoppel, lifetime gifts and the administration of estates. She also advises on how to fortify trusts and estates against such claims. In addition, Emily is experienced in advising on disputes relating to mental capacity and best interests in the Court of Protection, including those regarding statutory wills, the administration of P's financial affairs and P's health and care. Emily acts for individuals in their personal capacities, family businesses, trustees (both individuals and trust companies) and other fiduciaries, such as executors, deputies, attorneys and protectors.
Emily is experienced in alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration and mediation, as well as seeking injunctive relief. Her work frequently has an international, multi-jurisdictional element and she has been involved in disputes in England, Jersey, Guernsey, Bermuda, The Bahamas, Malta and the Isle of Man.
Emily regularly writes articles on the law and procedure pertaining to her practice area and has contributed articles to Trusts & Trustees, the STEP Journal, Solicitors Journal and ThoughtLeaders4 Private Client Magazine.
Emily passed with Distinction the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners' (STEP) Advanced Certificate in Trust Disputes. She is an affiliate member of STEP, a member of ConTrA (the Contentious Trusts Association), and Associate member of ACTAPS.
Emily was a trustee of the charity Able Child Africa from 2019-2025. She is a trustee of the charity Future Faces.
Key Experience
- Advising the settlor of a trust worth c. €300 million on how to fortify the trust structure against claims from third parties to the trust.
- Advising the beneficiary of a substantial trust governed by Jersey law about the negligent investment of the trust's assets.
- Acting for an ultra high net worth individual in relation to a claim regarding a mistaken gift into a Jersey trust worth in excess of £120 million.
- Advising an ultra high net worth individual in respect of application issued in the Court of Protection that sought to, among other things, deprive him of his chosen attorneys for his financial affairs and health and care.
- Acting for the co-owner of a substantial property business (worth in the region of £100 million) in a family dispute involving complex and intertwined issues of tax, corporate and trust law.
- Advising an individual on a statutory will application that sought to deprive him of all benefit of P's estate (this individual otherwise being entitled to one third of this substantial estate).
- Acting on behalf of a company incorporated in Dubai in respect of sums owed to it under a loan facility agreement with a BVI company and that was secured on a London residential property worth (then) approximately £70 million.
- Acting on behalf of a beneficiary in respect of a complex multi-generational family dispute concerning intertwined issues regarding inheritance and an Isle of Man trust.
- Advising the beneficiary of an estate on the removal of the executor of this estate (which was obtained with a significant cost order awarded in the client's favour).
- Advising an offshore trustee as to whether it should submit to the jurisdiction of English courts in the context of divorce proceedings.
- Acting on behalf of a beneficiary of three family trusts collectively worth several billion dollars in a multi-jurisdictional trust arbitration claim involving injunctive proceedings.
- Advising on a range of will disputes (potential and actual) including those about lack of formal validity, lack of testamentary capacity, undue influence, fraudulent calumny, want of knowledge and approval and claims relating to financial provision pursuant to the Inheritance (Provision for Family & Dependants) Act 1975.
Career History
Managing Associate, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Associate, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Trainee Solicitor, Payne Hicks Beach
Kaplan Law School, Legal Practice Course
University of Bristol, M.A., Law
Trinity College, Dublin, M. Phil, English Literature
Newcastle University, B.A. (Hons), English Literature
Articles, Publications and Lectures
- 'Modern Families', Tatler Experts Corner, October 2024 (with Emilia Piskorz)
- Moderator of the panel 'Arbitration for disputes involving private client clients: Dealing with arbitrations involving private clients in practice – a case study', AIJA Conference in Rotterdam, 29 June 2024
- TUI UK Ltd v Griffiths: an unfortunate holiday, but a good day for English common law, 21 December 2023
- 'Contesting the No Contest: A look at the courts' approach to in terrorem clauses', ACTAPS lecture, 9 May 2022
- Company held by Bitcoin ‘inventor’ ordered to post security in £4bn hacking claim (Tulip Trading Ltd v Bitcoin Association for BSV), Lexis PSL, 25 January 2022
- '60 Seconds With: Emily Bueno, Associate, Mishcon de Reya', Thought Leaders 4 Private Client, 5 January 2022
- 'Protecting the vulnerable: Presumption of undue influence in testamentary contexts', Solicitors Journal, 5 November 2021
- 'A Constructive Approach', the STEP Journal, Issue 2, 6 April 2021
- 'Stewards enquiry: challenging a professional trustee’s remuneration', Trusts & Trustees, Oxford University Press, 26 February 2021 (with Peter Steen)
- 'Proprietary Estoppel: the common sense continues', ThoughtLeaders4 Private Client Magazine, February 2021
- The presumption against double portions, 27 July 2020
- Acceptance in Lieu Scheme: key considerations for executors, 2 June 2020