Helen Barnett

Helen is a legal director in the onshore group of the Private Client team. She specialises in the administration of complex estates, often with a cross-border element. She prepares wills for clients, many of whom have assets in other jurisdictions, ensuring that the will is drafted to achieve the client’s aims in a tax-efficient way.

Helen also advises clients on lifetime Inheritance Tax planning, including creating new trusts and appointing assets out of existing trusts, making gifts (including the particular issues to be considered around gifts of property), and advising on planning options with regard to business assets and agricultural assets.

Another element of Helen’s client work includes advising on mental capacity issues, including lasting powers of attorney and other issues with vulnerable clients.

• Advising the executor of a multi-million pound estate, which passed under the terms of a homemade will, including liaising with HMRC to maximise Inheritance Tax reliefs and exemptions for the estate.
• Preparing a detailed note of advice to the trustees of a large trust who wanted to know what their options were for varying the terms of the trust.
• Advising a trustee whose co-trustee has lost capacity on the options available for removing/replacing the incapacitated trustee.
• Preparing a will and related documents for a client with a highly valuable business and difficult family circumstances to try to preserve the value of the business as far as possible for the next generation, while avoiding the risk of claims against the estate on the death of the testator.
• Advising clients on the gift of a property to their children, putting in place arrangements to ensure that they can continue to use the property themselves without a gift with reservation of benefit arising.

Member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), having completed the STEP Diploma in Trusts and Estates (England and Wales) in 2014.

Top Recommended 40 Under 40 for 2024 and 2022 in Citywealth Leaders List

Silver Medallist in ‘Lawyer of the Year: Associate’ in the Citywealth Future Leaders Awards 2020

Citywealth ‘Top 100 Future Leaders’ – 2020

eprivateclient ‘Top 35 under 35’ winner – 2014

Citywealth ‘Top 100 Future Leaders’ – 2016