Mark Scanlon

“Mark Scanlon is very professional, great with communication and extremely prompt with replies”

– Legal 500 UK 2026

Mark leads the Barcan+Kirby’s Contentious Trusts & Probate team. He joined the firm in 2011 as a Will drafter. Mark qualified as a solicitor in 2012, working within the Probate & Estate Administration team, later specialising exclusively in probate and trust disputes, which include Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 claims, validity of Will challenges, and claims in respect of personal representatives.

As a specialist in contentious trusts and probate matters, Mark is a member of both the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS) and the Contentious Trusts Association (ConTrA). He is also an affiliate member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and holds the STEP Advanced certificate in Will Preparation, as well as the STEP certificate in Contentious Estates.

The Contentious Trusts & Probate team was ranked as a ‘Firm to Watch’ in both Legal 500 2024 and Legal 500 2025 and received a tier 3 ranking in the Legal 500 2026 guide.

Qualifications

  • Bar Vocational Studies from the University of the West of England
  • Law with Politics (LLB) from Birmingham City University

Expertise

  • "Mark Scanlon = helpful and understanding."
    Legal 500 2026
  • "The team I am dealing with consists of Mark Scanlon and Niamh Dignan. They deal with matters promptly and talk in terms that the layperson can understand. Response time to any matter raised is exceptional."
    Legal 500 2026
  • "I have worked with Mark Scanlon, who is very professional, great with communication, and extremely prompt with replies."
    Legal 500 2026
  • "The main person I had contact with was Mark Scanlon, whom I have the greatest respect for. He always took the time to explain legal jargon to me and offer a range of suitable responses. As time went on with my case, I felt more and more comfortable with him advising me, as he always had a cool and calm approach."
    Legal 500 2026
  • "Mark Scanlon is the standout Associate at Barcan and Kirby. Mark’s ability to see through the most complex arguments presented by the opposite side and to disseminate information quickly but without legal jargon for me was an absolute godsend. He is, at all times, mindful of costs. He was sensitive to my grief and over the three years that this has taken, I have found Mark not just a terrific lawyer, but a man who makes his client feel fully supported every single step of the way."
    AnonEstate Disputes Client