Protect the wealth you've built up during your lifetime. Our estate planning solicitors provide expert advice on Inheritance Tax, setting up trusts and succession planning, so you can preserve and pass on your assets according to your wishes.
We’re here to help you plan for the future, whether you're concerned about how best to provide for loved ones, want to structure your affairs efficiently or are looking for ways to reduce the tax burden on your estate.
Our specialist estate planning solicitors work with a wide range of clients, including individuals, business owners and farmers.
We advise on:
- Succession planning
- Inheritance Tax planning
- Trusts – setting up, administering and disputes
Everybody's situation is different. You may require a simple solution or have more complicated assets or family dynamics.
We begin by listening to what's most important to you and the outcomes you'd like to achieve. We then take you through your options, translating the technical detail of the law into clear explanations – so you can make informed decisions and feel reassured by your arrangements.
Succession planning
Succession planning is the first step as you consider how you can provide for your family and protect your legacy.
This helps you:
- Decide how you want to pass on your wealth, assets and estate to future generations, including who should benefit and when
- Make arrangements that reflect your wishes, including writing or updating your Will, or setting up trusts that suit your circumstances
- Provide continuity in managing family businesses for a smooth transition
- Reduce Inheritance Tax on your assets
- Prevent disputes further down the line
The right course of action will depend on a number of different factors, such as how complex your estate is, the nature of your assets and who you want your beneficiaries to be.
Our estate planning solicitors are here to help you find the best strategies for your situation, taking into account your current position, as well as your long-term goals.
Find out more about our succession planning advice.
Inheritance Tax planning
With careful planning, you can reduce the Inheritance Tax your family may face.
All too often, we see estates which would have benefited from a few simple changes to make the most of relevant exemptions and reliefs. However, the legislation can be complex, so it’s essential to get the right advice.
Our solicitors are experts in Inheritance Tax, navigating the tricky detail of the law to assist with:
- Inheritance Tax planning for individuals, business owners and farmers
- Strategies to maximise your chances of qualifying for Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief
- Lifetime Inheritance Tax planning to make use of relevant tax-free allowances, reliefs and gifts
- Post-death Inheritance Tax arrangements, such as deeds of variation, which allow you to redirect the inheritance to achieve tax savings
Find out more with our Inheritance Tax planning advice.
Trusts legal advice
Trusts allow assets to be held securely and may give you control over how these are to be distributed. With several types of trusts available, they are a versatile tool to use as part of your succession planning.
Our expert solicitors advise on all aspects of setting up and administering trusts, as well as what to do if you’re dealing with a trust dispute.
Setting up a trust
We provide straightforward guidance to steer you through the trust creation process, with guidance on:
- The advantages and disadvantages of a trust, including tax implications
- The type of trust that is most appropriate for your needs
- How the trust will be administered
- Choosing who will benefit from the trust
- Selecting your trustees
We also work with clients following a successful personal injury or medical negligence claim to establish a Compensation Protection Trust, which enables you to ringfence your hard-won money.
Administering a trust
Becoming a trustee brings many responsibilities. Our dedicated Trusts Officer is here to support you with your trust administration duties, offering the level of support you need. This may be advice on your role, assistance with practical tasks, help with specific issues or taking on the management of the trust as a whole.
Dealing with trust disputes
Trust disputes can be both complex and sensitive matters. Our experienced team will help you find the best way forward as a trustee or beneficiary, whether this is through negotiation, mediation or court proceedings.
Winding up an unwanted trust
A trust can come to an end for several reasons: the assets have been distributed, there may have been a change in circumstances, or administrative costs and complexities are causing practical difficulties.
If you are looking to wind up or terminate the trust, it's important this is handled correctly to ensure you have met all the legal requirements. We can advise on:
- How to wind up or terminate the trust with the agreement of all beneficiaries
- Varying the trust if not all beneficiaries agree (or there are minors involved)
- What documentation is necessary and any tax implications
Expertise you can rely on – our estate planning solicitors
As members of the Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners (STEP), we’re specialists in succession and Inheritance Tax planning, keeping at the forefront of best practice.
Our team is also ranked in leading legal directory, the Legal 500, which notes we are: “well versed across the entire range of succession planning and tax mitigation matters” including “complex estates”.
Most importantly to us, this expertise is reflected in the feedback we receive from our clients. We build strong relationships, often acting as advisors across many generations of the same family.
Find out more
Secure your family's future today with our expert tax, trust and succession planning advice. Contact our specialist solicitors to find out how you can protect your wealth and ensure your assets are passed on according to your wishes.
Call us at one of our offices or complete our online enquiry form to take the first step.