Estate Planning

Estate planning

Our estate planning service involves reviewing the current make up of your estate and the current exposure to taxes, including inheritance tax (IHT).   This service is offered by our most experienced lawyers and is tailored advice to your specific circumstances.

We will review the assets and liabilities included in your estate and what is likely to change from a business, financial or family perspective together with any other interests you may have which could impact on your tax exposure.

We will then provide holistic advice on the appropriate solution and a roadmap for how to achieve your aims.  We provide comprehensive advice in person but also in writing to ensure that you have that advice and information to refer to in years to come.

We provide advice in plain English without legal jargon.

Many of our clients who benefit from this service are business owners who are facing the daunting task of succession planning for the business which has been their life’s work.  We will work alongside our colleagues in our corporate team to advise you regarding your succession plan,  to make sure that your route to retirement is clear, structured and  doesn’t result in unforeseen tax consequences.   That advice often sits alongside the preparation of a new will for you personally as well as a review of corporate governance documents for your business, for example shareholder agreements.

We can advise on a wide range of circumstances and provide tailored solutions for:

• Business and agricultural interests and succession planning
• Provision for vulnerable beneficiaries
• Asset preservation.

We will happily work alongside your accountant and/ or independent financial adviser to provide a dovetailed solution for you, that works from all perspectives and isn’t limited to one aspect of your life.

You may be considering the use of lifetime trusts and we can advise on whether these are suitable for you and the implications of them.