Trusts, wills and estates
Our team prides itself on providing a partner-led, collaborative approach supporting clients (nationally and internationally) with quality succession and estate planning advice, underpinned with commercial depth, as well as providing technical tax, trust and will planning advice.
Most owners of land, businesses or other assets are keen to ensure that their assets are inherited by and protected for their families. This is a highly complex area and expert advice is vital. Our team will work closely with you and other professionals to provide tailor-made solutions to protect your family's ownership.
- Our clients – families, wealthy individuals, landowners, entrepreneurs, investors, trustees (from individuals through to offshore trustees), accountants, independent financial advisors and other professionals, both on and offshore.
- Our experience - an established team which has for many years acted for wealthy individuals and professionals.
- Team of nine specialist lawyers and one chartered accountant (including six full Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners members) - based in London and Nottingham but working nationally.
- Specialist legal service - wills, tax planning, succession and estate planning, trust advice and administration, probate and powers of attorney, specialist advice on commercial trusts and non-approved pension schemes.
- Specialist trust advice for tax advisers and professional trustees - complex will and trust drafting, advice on all aspects of trust law, contested estates and trusts, court applications, professional trustee services (either on an individual professional basis or via our UK trust company).
- Wider services for private clients - colleagues in the firm handle other services for our private clients, under the supervision of the client partner, including property, litigation, commercial and corporate work, and corporate and property tax.
What we do
- Wills - Including complex will and trust drafting
- Advising on the succession of family businesses through the generations to include family constitutions
- Setting up and restructuring trusts and all aspects of trust administration
- Professional trustee services (either through an individual or our Trust Company Mowbray Trustees Limited)
- Specialist advice on commercial trusts
- Family investment companies
- Agricultural and other family partnerships
- Advising on tax (primarily inheritance tax, capital gains tax and income tax), succession and estate planning
- Tax and legal advice for non-UK domiciled individuals - Advising about trust and estate disputes
- Probate
- Powers of attorney and appointment of deputies - Dealing with the court of protection where a person has lost capacity
Featured experience
Family business planning
We advised the owners of a large international family business about effective succession planning by creating trusts to own shares, a family constitution and involving the next generation in the business. We also prepared wills including trusts and specialist lasting powers of attorney to assist should the shareholders lose mental capacity.
Family trusts
We regularly restructure trusts by creating sub funds or merging or separating trusts for the benefit of family members. We have also conducted various applications to Court to extend the duration of trusts or the time for which income can be accumulated. We also advise offshore trustees.
Complex estates
We frequently administer large estates with complex business, agricultural and tax implications often involving assets overseas. We also advise on post-death tax planning and rearrangements and the restructuring of will trusts to fit with the family’s requirements.
Acting as trustee
We act as trustee to a number of family trusts many of which exceed £100m in value. We provide advice to the trustees and deal with the trust administration.
Key contacts
Lucy Worwood
Partner
Wenna Thompson
Partner
Imogen Holmes
Partner
Iain Blatherwick
Partner
Robin Lecoutre
Legal Director
Koren Holbourn
Senior Associate
Bindu Kotecha
Trust Accounts & Tax Manager
Alex Shah
Associate
Rosie Dickens
Legal Assistant
Testimonials
"I rate lawyers on three criteria and they do very well on all; technical competence, responsiveness, and most importantly collaboration and working towards the client's best interests."
“I do not know of any other team with the same level of expertise and experience.”
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