Wills, Tax & Lifetime Planning

Planning for the future of your family or business in the event of your death is one of the most important steps you can take to safeguard a comfortable future for those you leave behind.

A carefully considered and well drafted Will which clarifies what happens to your assets and makes provisions for your family, gives you peace of mind for a stress-free future. Getting the right advice can ensure that your Will is tax-efficient and takes advantage of the appropriate exemptions and reliefs to reduce the burden of Inheritance Tax.

Our specialist Private Client lawyers are experts in tax planning and managing personal wealth for successive generations, advising a range of clients from business owners to individuals on Wills, Trusts, Inheritance Tax and succession planning. We can guide you on making provisions in your Will for your intended beneficiaries, protecting family wealth and putting plans in place to optimise relief on inheritance tax.

We can also help you plan for the unexpected, such as a loss of mental capacity, by making and registering a Lasting Power of Attorney which gives authority to one (or more than one) trusted person to deal with your property and finances and make decisions about your health and welfare.

When a Lasting Power of Attorney has not been put in place, we can guide you through the process of appointing a Deputy and making the relevant applications to the Court of Protection to help manage financial and health affairs. Our Trusts and Estates team are highly experienced in dealing with this situation sensitively and have helped many clients facing such difficulties.

Our expert lawyers provide a holistic service working closely with other teams in the firm such as corporate, residential property, family and tax as well as professional financial advisers, to provide a one-stop service to help you consider every aspect of your financial future.

We help individuals, families and business owners cascade and protect their wealth through the generations, advising on appropriate wills, trusts, lifetime planning, family investment companies and other asset protection structures such as pre and post nuptial agreements, as well as helping clients fulfil philanthropic goals in their future planning.

We are particularly skilled in dealing with complex trusts and estates and advise and draft wills for private individuals, business owners, wealthy families, farmers and high net worth individuals as well as vulnerable beneficiaries.

We advise on:

• Advice on effective lifetime gifts
• Bank of Mum & Dad Guidance
• Court of Protection and mental capacity issues
• Deeds of Variation
• Inheritance tax planning
• Lasting & Enduring Powers of Attorney
• Planning in the context of long term care
• Probate & estates
• Providing for vulnerable beneficiaries
• Tax & Trusts
• Wealth management
• Wills & succession planning