Jess Buttaci.

Managing Partner / Compliance Officer for Legal Practice
wills and probate
lasting powers of attorney
elderly and vulnerable client services
cohabitation agreements and declarations of trust
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overview

Jess Buttaci is the Managing Partner at Howell Jones and a highly experienced private client solicitor.

As Managing Partner, Jess is responsible for the strategic direction and continued development of Howell Jones. She works closely with the partnership and teams across the firm, with a particular focus on attracting and developing great people, strengthening the business and identifying opportunities for growth and improvement. She is committed to building a modern, ambitious and successful firm while preserving the culture, relationships and personal approach that have always been central to Howell Jones.

Jess is also the firm’s Compliance Officer for Legal Practice, reflecting her wider responsibility for maintaining high professional standards and supporting effective risk management across the business.

Alongside her leadership role, Jess is an experienced private client solicitor.  She is part of our award-winning and Legal 500 Recommended Private Client team and has been named the ‘standout lawyer in the practice’ by the Legal 500.

‘Jess Buttaci displays great depth of knowledge on the subject, takes a holistic view and shows proactivity where appropriate and liaises with client advisers/accountants where relevant. This results in a more complete satisfactory outcome. Jess Buttaci brings unique qualities and is the standout lawyer in the practice.’

Jess holds an LLB (Hons) in Modern Languages and Law from the University of the West of England and is a full member of The Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners (STEP), reflecting her expertise in private client work. She originally qualified as a solicitor with Howell Jones before spending ten years practicing in Guildford, returning to the firm in 2013.

Jess advises individuals and families on a wide range of Private Client matters, from wills and succession planning to complex estate administration, lasting powers of attorney and trust administration. Her experience includes high-value and taxable estates, international assets and beneficiaries, business and agricultural property, post-death variations and ongoing trusts.

She also has particular experience working with elderly and vulnerable clients and families facing difficult or sensitive circumstances. Jess takes a practical and approachable view, making complex issues understandable and helping clients make informed decisions about their affairs.

Jess was awarded Highly Commended for Businessperson of the Year at the Surrey Business Awards 2019.

Jess was also a Finalist for the title of Private Client of the Year in the 2019 SLS Legal Awards. This is a credit to her excellent contribution and technical knowledge.

Jess has had notable success across a number of cases. Here are details of some of her most prominent:

  1. Dealing with a high value, taxable estate with assets and beneficiaries in multiple jurisdictions.
  2. Successfully administering an estate where the deceased made a homemade will and almost every aspect was ambiguous and complex.
  3. Preparing Wills for modern, blended families with children from previous and current relationships.
  4. Preparing an emergency will for someone in the last days of their life.

When not working Jess loves visiting and learning about new cities and countries. She also loves a family games night and enjoys playing board games.

areas of work.

wills and probate

Taking control of what happens in the event of your death or incapacity isn’t the easiest thing to think about...

lasting powers of attorney

Having a Lasting Power of Attorney gives you peace of mind that you and your affairs will be looked after...

elderly and vulnerable client services

Your older years should be a time of enjoyment but often they are affected by physical challenge, financial and legal...

cohabitation agreements and declarations of trust

Choosing to live with your partner before marriage/civil partnership, or instead of getting married/having a civil partnership, is easy and...

Jess Buttaci recently helped us with wills and LPA’s. We highly recommend her as we found her to be very approachable, easy to talk with about complex issues and she guided us gently through difficult decisions. She offered clear information without being in the least bit “stuffy”. She clearly knows her subjects and made no attempts to encourage us towards more complex and consequently more expensive actions. She and her staff have been organised and always polite yet friendly. Highly recommend.

Jess Buttaci has been my solicitor for the past 18 months handling my late father’s estate.  Jess has been very informative, professional & personable through the whole process which is what everyone needs when going through a very sad and difficult time.  Thank you Jess.

Many thanks for all your help and advice through a difficult time. Your professional advice and care in dealing with matters, was much appreciated.

Just wanted to say thank you to you personally for the very smooth, and efficient way in which our wills have been executed. From our first meeting on the iPad to our last signatures last week. Thank you Jess, and please convey our thanks to your team.

We will definitely recommend you, and your company to family, and friends.

I had the privilege to be a senior leader in one of the UK’s largest City of London law firms for many years in the 1990’s before I departed to the United States. In my current role I work with attorneys from the leading American law firms transacting high value commercial real estate transactions. These are all fine lawyers but what we have seen from Howell Jones is multigenerational support to a family which has made a real difference.

The work Jess did in preparing my parents estate had a direct impact on our ability to support my mother as she went though the challenges of dementia; it eased the concerns my father had as we all worked together to ensure that my mother got the care she needed and provided the framework for my brother to step in and manage their finances in the twilight of their lives.

Your firm has touched real lives and delivered certainty in a sea of chaos and you did this not for people of significant wealth, but essentially ordinary people. You supported my parents with care and dignity and helped us gently move control from one generation to the next.

Attorneys are often ridiculed but I am writing to say that your firm has stepped up and provided an outstanding service to my family. I am personally grateful to you all.

You touched them – you served them, gave them peace and the assurance of certainty that their affairs were in order. You served them with compassion, dignity and integrity. You made a difference when it mattered and I am not sure there can be a higher calling. Thank you.

I was very impressed with the meeting we arranged with myself and my son, who has Down’s syndrome. We chose Howell Jones, as they were local, and we received a recommendation from a friend of ours.

Jess Buttaci researched from the Down’s Syndrome Association with all the necessary information required to organise a power of attorney. She spoke clearly and explained in depth (but simple terms) for my son to understand. If my son was unsure, she would find a way to explain easier. The whole process was a breeze, which took the pressure off the family and step by step instructions to follow the process of POA.

We would highly recommend both Jess and Howell Jones to other members of the public who wish to go down the solicitor’s route.

Jess was knowledgeable, professional and approachable during the process of drafting and finalising my will. Nothing was too much trouble and day-to-day language meant I understood the intricacies of the task.

Delighted with the entire procedure and would definitely use Jess again and also recommend to others.

Jess Buttaci has been super responsive, open, honest, sensitive, professional, very competent and above all patient in dealing with our family matters. The rest of Howell Jones has been very supportive and visits to the offices a pleasure. I recommend.

I just wanted to say thank you so much for helping me to apply for an LPoA for Frankie. When a child with Down syndrome becomes an adult they continue to need as much support as ever. Getting an LPoA is essential to enable to give them the support they need. It is so difficult to do this without a professional who can do a mental capacity assessment. You made the whole process so simple.

You were so kind helping us navigate this. Having the initial conversation on the phone gave me the information I needed and I was able to explain how nervous Frankie was with strangers.

You were amazing at putting Frankie at ease with your calm, friendly manner. You explained the process in a way that made it understandable for her so that she was able to make her own decisions.

Getting LPoA for Frankie will help her to continue to become more independent by getting the support that she needs. I cannot thank you enough for your kindness and professionalism.

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