UK Wealth Planning
Our UK wealth team works with our clients to identify specific goals and aspirations for their wealth and their succession planning. We take care to ensure the right plan is in place for each individual.
The advice might include the effective use of making lifetime gifts or gifts by Will, or by using trusts, companies or LLPs. We also assist with implementing the client’s charitable initiatives. We advise on all relevant taxes and tax reliefs and exemptions.
Our clients include wealthy UK individuals and families, entrepreneurs, business owners, landowners and estates, investors, philanthropists, trustees, family offices and art collectors.
How we help
- Estate planning and succession – We organise will and estate planning for families and individuals, with a key focus on the long-term wealth preservation. We advise on all aspects of Wills, LPAs and trusts, having long-standing expertise in dealing with complex trusts. We have in-depth experience of alternative structures such as Family Investment Companies and other corporate group structures. We advise Private Equity executives on their partnership interests
- Family Governance – Many of our clients own businesses. Creating a clear blueprint for the successful succession and future governance of the business forms a key part of our advice. We are well versed in advising on the most appropriate structures and draft Family Charters and Shareholders Agreements to ensure the business remains in the family ownership and that robust decision-making protocols are established. Good communication ensures that the critical discussions take place at the right time
- Pre and post nuptial agreements – The possibility of the divorce of an individual or a key family member presents an ongoing risk to wealth preservation. We advise on protecting inherited, pre-marital, family business or trust assets in the event of divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership, through pre and post nuptial agreements
- Financial structuring – We have a wealth of experience in the structuring of tax-efficient acquisition, retention and sale of real estate, portfolio investments and trading or investment businesses
- Offshore structures – UK clients often wish to include offshore structures in their plans. We manage the creation, administration and use of offshore trusts, companies, partnerships, foundations and other entities
Our hallmark is that we are practical and solutions based. We listen and then advise. Our lawyers are technically excellent, coupled with a pragmatic approach and a passion for finding a workable solution for everyone. We are known for our teamwork – both within the firm and with the clients’ other professional teams.
Recommended reading
Over the next two decades, Africa will see its most significant transfer of wealth from one generation to the next. Yet, statistics show that many family businesses fail by the third generation. In African Business Magazine, Private Wealth Partner, Julie Howard explores strategies wealthy African families can adopt to succeed in preserving their wealth, unpacking why succession planning is more than a financial exercise – it is about safeguarding legacy, unity and values.
Read more 12 Aug 2025 CIOs and tech leaders should heed the UK’s latest immigration reformsThe UK’s Skilled Worker visa route has undergone major reform and tech businesses may be more exposed than they realise. In their recent article for Tech Monitor, Immigration Partner, Zoe Jacob and Associate, Rhona Findlay warn tech leaders not to overlook the impact of these changes, breaking down the implications for roles at RQF Level 3-5 and explaining why CIOs and HR teams must act now to audit their workforce and mitigate immigration risks.
Read more 07 Aug 2025 Rewriting the rules of generational wealth: Hayden Bailey and Clare Stirzaker comment in the Financial TimesIn a recent article by Pictet Wealth Management and the Financial Times, Partners Hayden Bailey and Clare Stirzaker share their insights on how modern families are rethinking succession, governance and intergenerational dialogue. From fluid leadership structures to family councils and shared decision-making, today’s legacy planning is less about handovers and more about ongoing conversations and design frameworks that last.
Read more 24 Jul 2025 A silver lining for non-doms?From 6 April 2025, the Government’s new Foreign Income and Gains (FIG) regime for ‘qualifying new residents’ (QNRs) introduced a fresh landscape of tax incentives. Despite widespread criticism and concerns around the fiscal impact of scrapping the non-dom regime, the new reforms provide significant benefits for new UK residents – including exemption from UK tax on qualifying income and gains for their first four years of residence. In City AM, Private Wealth Senior Associate, Clare Pooley explores how the new regime works in practice, who stands to benefit, and the long-term implications for international mobility and investment in the UK.
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