Expertise
Kate advises domestic and international clients on personal tax, trust, estate planning and succession issues. Her clients include individuals, trustees and charities often with multi-jurisdictional assets owned via complex offshore trust and corporate structures. Kate works closely with her clients and their advisors to mitigate tax and plan for the future.
Kate advises clients on the use of lifetime gifts, tax-efficient Wills, trusts and charitable foundations. Kate has particular experience advising on exiting family businesses, charity formation, onshore and offshore tax planning and trust structuring, and planning for moving to or returning to the UK. Kate frequently advises clients with charitable interests or valuable art collections.
Recent Experience
- Advising family shareholders on tax and estate planning in advance of the sale of the family business.
- Advising on the formation of charities as charitable incorporated organisations, companies limited by guarantee or trusts; setting up and administering charities.
- Drafting Wills for testators with overseas assets.
- Advising on cross border succession planning for clients with assets, business interests and charitable interests in multiple jurisdictions.
- UK tax and remittance planning for individuals moving to or returning to the UK.
- Advising the trustees and family members of large and diverse landed estates on trust law issues, succession planning and tax planning.
Career History
Kate qualified as a private client solicitor in 2011 and joined Wedlake Bell in 2013.
Kate has a degree in Economics from The University of York, she also completed the Graduate Diploma in Law and the Legal Practice Course at BPP London. She is a STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) member, having obtained a distinction in her exams.
Kate was named as one of eprivateclient’s 2016 Top 35 Under 35 and as Tax and Estate Planning Lawyer of the Year in the Women in Law Awards in 2016. In 2019 she won Citywealth’s Gold award as “Lawyer of the Year – Senior/Managing Associate”. Kate has also been named in Citywealth’s Top 100 Private Client Lawyers 2021.
Publications
“Scientist’s Tax Offset Delivers Cultural, Family Value” published in Wealth Briefing, Solicitors Journal, June 2021
“What Banksy teaches us about art ownership” published in Arts Professional, Solicitors Journal, June 2021
“The domicile trap – Meghan Markle” published in eprivateclient, November 2018
"Kate Johnson has an equally keen mind, designing succession and managing global projects. She is a pitch-perfect point person among clients and multiple advisors."
— Legal 500, 2023
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Wedlake Bell announces six Partner promotions in 2023 round
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Kate Johnson comments on Jeff Bezos’ plans to give away fortune
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CONSERVATION COVENANTS: A LOOK TO THE FUTURE
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Scientist’s Tax Offset Delivers Cultural, Family Value
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International family businesses remain agile during the Covid-19 pandemic
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Tax Relief for Landed Estates and Heritage Assets
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What Banksy teaches us about art ownership
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NEW TAX YEAR BRINGS AN END TO ATED-RELATED CAPITAL GAINS TAX
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New Capital Gains Tax for Non-UK Residents
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The impact of the Covid-19 crisis on charitable giving in Wills
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Changes to offshore loans for UK property
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Declaring Offshore Assets? Tick it off your summer check list…
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Kate Johnson’s article was published in Professional Adviser
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