Boodle Hatfield is a long-established and successful law firm which acts for wealthy individuals, families, property owners and businesses across the world from its offices in London and Oxford.
We have five core sectors; Property, Private Client & Tax, Corporate, Litigation and Family but within this we have niche areas of expertise such as technology, the Arts, entrepreneurial clients and senior living. These specialisms fit well with the evolving needs of our clients and enable us to provide high quality advice and service across a full spectrum of needs and interests in their lives.
Whilst the firm is based in London and Oxford, there is an increasing focus on international work. This evolution complements the long-standing work that we have done for some of the largest landed estates and family businesses in the UK. We also often called upon to advise on multi-jurisdictional disputes.
We are particularly well known for our long-standing relationships with our clients which have been established by providing outstanding service and having a clear focus on helping them to succeed in today’s challenging world. Our first-class legal advice is delivered by teams of approachable, likeable and commercially astute lawyers.
We value and balance well the long standing relationships that we have nurtured with clients over many years, some of which over hundreds of years, with a modern and agile approach and entrepreneurial attitude to attract and service newer clients.
In recognition of the firm’s clear focus on its core client base, distinctive female leadership, long-standing culture of gender equality and strong management team, the firm was awarded the Exceptional Achievement by a Firm prize at Managing Partners’ Forum Awards 2020.
Our Expertise
Property
We have 300 years of advising in both commercial and residential transactions and have advised on almost every type of property, including large agricultural holdings, luxury penthouse apartments, hotels, offices and shopping centres for clients in the UK and from overseas. We have strength across a variety of sectors including Urban Regeneration, Landed Estates, Retail, Hotels, Offices and Industrial, and advise on investment and development; construction; property finance; litigation; placemaking; enfranchisement and property tax structuring. Read more.
Private Client & Tax
We are recognised as being one of the leading private client firms in the country. We have a first class reputation for providing practical and effective legal advice for wealthy individuals and families, landed estates, family businesses, trustees and family offices, both in the UK and internationally.
Our prize-winning teams advise on a wide range of issues from wealth and succession planning through the effective use of wills, trusts and tax planning to resolve international disputes over multi-jurisdictional estates. Read more.
Corporate
Our lawyers focus on providing solutions for our clients to enable them to operate their businesses successfully, whether they are starting a new business or managing a multi-national family business. We routinely advise our clients on a range of matters from general commercial agreements and M&As to commercial taxes, litigation and employment law.
Our clients are drawn from a wide range of industries, but there is an emphasis on investment funds and commodities trading (from regulatory issues to structuring), family businesses and the hotels/leisure sector. Many of our clients have an international focus and we advise on cross-border transactions and on structuring inward bound investments. Read more.
Family
Our family team act on an impressive number of instructions for high net worth individuals both in the UK and internationally. The team advise on all issues relating to relationships starting up or breaking down and they are particularly well-known for complex financial relief cases and advising on cross-border children disputes. A strength of the team is how closely it works with Boodle Hatfield’s other core departments on trust, tax, property and corporate issues to meet the needs of clients not only during separation or divorce but through all stages of life.
Our award-winning team acts for entrepreneurs, individuals with significant family businesses and internationally acclaimed sportsmen and women – and they take great pride in handling sensitive matters for high profile clients with the utmost discretion. Read more.
Resolving Disputes/Litigation
Clients rarely choose to get involved in disputes, but inevitably sometimes things go wrong and it is essential to find a solution quickly and effectively. Our teams advise on commercial, property and construction, trusts & estates disputes and art disputes and are noted for their practical approach to sorting out problems. Read more.
International
We are based in London, but much of our work is international whether we are advising international individuals on their personal estate planning, international companies on their worldwide business activities, or advising on multi-jurisdictional disputes. We provide English law advice in a global context, be that for international clients or on international transactions, and regularly work with leading professionals across the world.
We have developed strong relationships with other top firms around the world who have expertise in specific areas. We are also a member of TAGLaw, an international network of law firms. We can select the right overseas lawyer for each separate situation whom we are confident will provide the quality of legal advice, cultural understanding and client service that our clients expect from us.
Arts
We have a long history of advising individuals, institutional collectors, estates and trustees, galleries, art and antique dealers on art law issues. Our art lawyers advise on issues from the disputed authenticity of Old Masters to conditional exemption claims for landed estates. Our outstanding reputation reflects the experience and expertise that we have accumulated by helping long-standing clients who are active in the art world. With offices in two of London’s largest artistic hubs, Mayfair and Bankside, our team has a deep understanding of the market. We effectively blend arts knowledge and legal expertise to ensure we get the best results. Read more.
Entrepreneurs
No two entrepreneurs are the same. But one thing they all have in common is a driving ambition to succeed. We help entrepreneurs achieve their goals, bringing together legal specialists across corporate, tax, wealth protection, employment, Family and IP. Read more.