Clare Armitage

Clare advises both UK-based and international individuals, trustees, beneficiaries and their advisers on tax, trusts, estate planning and succession issues. She acts for ultra-high net worth and high net worth individuals and families on the establishment and use of trusts and other structures for succession and estate planning purposes.

Clare advises on tax efficient UK will planning as well as cross-border wills and succession planning. Clare has a particular focus on US/UK estate planning and regularly works in conjunction with lawyers in other jurisdictions to provide her international clients with a comprehensive multi-jurisdictional estate plan. She also advises on a range of UK trust law matters and acts as a trustee of private family trusts and charities.

Clare has particular experience in advising Middle Eastern-connected families on tax-efficient structuring of their UK property as well as succession planning structures for their wider business and investment assets. She travels to the region regularly. Clare also provides UK tax advice to private individuals and their families planning to invest, live, work or study in the UK.

Clare’s clients include entrepreneurs, business owners and private family offices for whom she provides advice on mitigating Inheritance Tax and Capital Gains Tax and planning for future family/business life-cycle events.

• Advising on a variety of complex trust law matters for a significant UK-based private family office and landed estate.
• Advising an ultra-high net worth US/UK family on complex cross-border trust and estate planning in light of the April 2025 Inheritance Tax changes affecting long-term UK residents.
• Advising private family shareholders on tax planning and structuring options ahead of a planned sale of the business.
• Advising an ultra-high net worth UAE-based family office with UK and internationally based family members on structuring for their global assets, including the use of trusts and DIFC Foundations for local UAE assets.
• Advising private individuals and trustees on existing structures of high-value residential and mixed-use real estate in the UK.
• Drafting and advising on wills and asset protection structures for a family with financial and matrimonial concerns for their children.

Clare is a full member of  The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).

Clare is listed in Spear’s 500 Private Client directory for top private client advisers