Wealth structuring and succession planning

Putting a will in place and providing for how your personal and financial affairs should be managed if you lose mental capacity is one of the most important things you can do. We understand that many clients find these scenarios difficult to contemplate, much less plan for, but our approachable and sensitive team work with you to understand your priorities for you and your loved ones and put in place practical, tax-efficient solutions which meet your objectives.

We can help you to put in place a UK will, whether covering a wholly UK-based estate, or working in close partnership with lawyers in other jurisdictions if you have international connections.

We also consider periods during your lifetime where you may not be in a position to make your own decisions and can help you consider these scenarios. We can put in place lasting powers of attorney for you, enabling others to make decisions relating to your finances and/or health and welfare on your behalf, as well as other arrangements dealing with the circumstances under which you would want to receive or refuse specified medical interventions.

Personal ownership of assets is not always the best solution for asset protection, succession planning and tax mitigation. We work with you to place assets into structures including trusts and family investment companies where the benefits of such a move are likely to outweigh any disadvantages.

We have significant experience establishing and advising on such structures for a wide variety of clients, from UK-based clients who wish to establish trusts to hold their business property, insurance policies or death benefits, to family investment companies to assure the effective transfer of investments offering longer-term growth, to large multi-jurisdictional trust structures for globally wealthy companies. We pride ourselves in providing clear, practical guidance on their creation and ongoing administration to ensure tax-efficient wealth transfer and the appropriate balance of control and flexibility relating to key family, investment and business assets.

We offer a full suite of services to suit a trustee’s ongoing needs and can also act as a professional trustee to act through our wholly owned trust company. View our trustee and trust management page