We are experienced in advising clients and their families over the long term; working closely with our transactional and business lawyers, we also understand the practical side of business.
We advise individuals on matters including tax planning on sale, flotation or other exit from the business; general mitigation of capital gains tax and inheritance tax; the use of trusts; tax efficient extraction of profits, including share buy-backs; retirement or succession planning for the business, including incentive arrangements for key managers; and general wealth management advice, including the review of overall pension, life insurance and investment aims.
Drawing on the expertise of our colleagues in other teams, we can access specialist advice on corporate tax, pensions, share option schemes, directors' service contracts and property matters. We are also used to liaising with and co-ordinating advice from other professionals, such as accountants, pension managers and investment advisors.
We aim to provide a single point of contact on which the business proprietor's personal and family affairs will focus. As a business develops, commercial considerations will predominate. As a sale, flotation or other realisation approaches, the focus will shift more towards tax mitigation, wealth management, succession planning and personal financial planning. But all these factors need to be kept in mind at any stage, and our job is to keep our clients aware of, and able to react to, changes which will affect them.
“This "weighty " firm offers a specialist service to a wide range of high net worth individuals, offering a broad spread of
UK and overseas advice”.
Chambers & Partners 2005
- advising the owners of a private business on tax mitigation, employee incentive and estate planning issues on sale to a FTSE 100 acquirer
- advising a private business owner on the feasibility of becoming resident overseas, tax-efficient extraction of profit, and the use of offshore companies
- providing advice to the trustees and directors of a listed company on possible rearrangement of trusts holding shares in the business
