Matthew Braithwaite

Partner

Private Client
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Expertise

Matt advises a wide range of UK and international clients, from individuals, families, trustees, beneficiaries and family offices on a wide range of private client issues, including UK tax, estate and succession planning.

Matt acts for high net worth individuals and families including business owners, professional executives and entrepreneurs.  Matt advises on the establishment and use of trusts and other wealth holding structures, and also on the succession of family trusts and businesses and governance issues.

He also advises on Wills and wider estate and succession planning issues.

Recent Experience

  • Matt assisted UK resident and domiciled family business owners with their succession planning including gifting of shares in the business to the next generation, corporate advice to support the succession of the business and personal support concerning the preparation of Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney.
  • Matt has advised UK resident US persons and UK nationals resident in the US in connection with their succession and estate planning, working with US advisors to ensure a joined up approach with both tax advice and Will drafting.
  • Matt has providing ‘pre-arrival’ UK tax planning to non-UK domiciled persons coming to the UK from, amongst other countries, Hong Kong.
  • Matt regularly provides UK tax advice to both UK and international clients in connection with the purchase of high value UK residential property.  He also regularly drafts Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorneys and lifetime trusts to mitigate tax or carry out estate or succession planning.

Career History

Matt trained at Bath-based Stone King and upon qualifying as a solicitor in 2005 he practised as a solicitor in Bath before moving to London with Stone King in 2008 to develop the firm’s private client services.

In 2011 Matt joined BDO in London as a Senior Tax Manager in their Private Client Services department before moving back into the legal world in 2013 to take up role in the Private Wealth at another London based law firm. He joined Wedlake Bell as a Partner in 2018.

Matt is Co-Chair of the firm’s Social Mobility Network and responsible for coordinating initiatives to give career opportunities to prospective lawyers from less well represented social and ethnic backgrounds.

Matt is a full-time member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and Co-Chair of STEP’s Business Families Special Interest Group Steering Committee.

Publications

Matt has co-authored chapters for the International Comparative Legal Guide: Private Client, including a series chartering the reforms to the taxation of UK residential property and has written widely for industry publications and the national press.  Matt also talks at industry conferences both in the UK and internationally.

Endorsements

Matt is listed in Citywealth’s Leaders List 2018 and was awarded silver for Partner of the Year at the Citywealth Future Leader Awards 2016.

Matt was listed in the eprivateclient “Top 35 Under 35” in 2014 and 2015.

Matthew's background in tax is clear and he is incredibly technical.

Chambers, High Net Worth 2023

Matthew is very good. He has a lot of patience and comes across well.

Chambers, High Net Worth 2023

Matt is a terrific partner in dealing with delicate matters. He makes clients feel supported.

Chambers, High Net Worth 2023

The team is known for its straightforward answers and expertise in helping international clients navigating through complex UK tax issues. I work with Matt Braithwaite. Approachable, no nonsense and always helpful!

Legal 500, 2023

Matthew Braithwaite advises wealthy clients on cross-border succession and estate planning, as well as taxation matters. "He is my go-to private wealth lawyer in London. He is very patient and has a lot of experience in advising high net worth families on tax-related issues," states a source.

Chambers, High Net Worth 2022

Matthew Braithwaite is very responsive and easy to work with.

Legal 500, 2022

Matthew Braithwaite, Camilla Wallace and Jenny Cutts – each with their own style; all three are technically excellent and provide solution driven advice.

Legal 500, 2022

He is very collaborative, he is very responsive and very knowledgeable," and another comments: "He is someone I'd highly recommend. I like him a lot. He is really bright, responsive and easy to deal with.

Chambers, High Net Worth Guide 2021

Matt is brilliant. Matt is first of all a very approachable and very down-to-earth individual, the other thing that stands out about him is that he has a very good grasp of matters and can explain things to clients in an understandable manner.

Chambers, High Net Worth Guide 2021

News

eprivateclient: What might 2023 have in store for the private wealth sector?

Following a turbulent 2022, Partner Matthew Braithwaite and Partner Oliver Embley discuss what they think lies ahead for the private wealth sector in 2023, published in eprivateclient. To read theRead more

Globally Speaking

International family businesses remain agile during the Covid-19 pandemic

Whilst we have all stayed put in recent months as a consequence of swathes of restrictions on global travel that have been in place at various times during the COVID-19Read more

News

Edward Fennell’s Legal Diary: News that family offices managing vast fortunes for wealthy individuals have increased their allocation to private equity from about 15 per cent in 2019 to a fifth last year.

Partner Matthew Braithwaite has shared his thoughts on the news that family offices managing fortunes for wealthy individuals have increased their allocation to private equity from about 15 per centRead more

News

Family offices in a post-pandemic world

Over the last ten years, it has become increasingly common for families with significant wealth to use a business structure (“the family office”) to centralise and manage the family’s assets,Read more

News

A Nudge In The Wrong Direction From The UK’s Tax Collector?

Harriet Ballard and Matthew Braithwaite look at how HM Revenue & Customs sifts through information to chase people who it thinks owe taxes. They find a number of problems, andRead more

News

The non-resident stamp duty land tax surcharge

Partner Matthew Braithwaite and Associate Andrew McIntyre discuss the non-resident stamp duty land tax surcharge and how the test for this must not be confused with the statutory residence testRead more

News

THE RISING IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL CAPITAL FOR FAMILY OFFICES

It was recently reported in the British press that bragging rights could be earned amongst ultra-wealthy families and their family offices by paying more tax, not less. For the lastRead more

News

Why performance needs to be more than just about financial return for family office investors- Wealth Adviser

Family offices are increasingly wanting to invest in stocks and funds that are both profitable and reflective of social values. The types of investing fulfil these aims: Environmental, social andRead more

News

Home And Away: Working From Home, Abroad – Tax, Legal Implications- WealthBriefing

Partner Matthew Braithwaite and solicitor Jack Martin in the Private Client team have co-written an article with trainee solicitor Olivia Ufland in the Employment team for WealthBriefing. Together, they discussRead more

Bulletins

Tax and estate planning when moving to the UK

In the past 12 months, growing political turmoil and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have caused many of Hong Kong’s 7.5 million residents to look for an exitRead more

News

Tax Changes for Purchasers of UK Property

There have been several recent developments regarding the tax payable when UK property is purchased: Stamp Duty Land Tax, commonly referred to as SDLT. SDLT Holiday For residential properties, theRead more

News

Immigration to the UK from Hong Kong: Preparatory Legal and Tax Steps

Julia Jackson and Matthew Braithwaite discuss issues related to immigration  with Hong Kong lawyer, Alfred Ip a founding partner of Hong Kong law firm Hugill & Ip . The preparatoryRead more

News

6 APRIL IS THE BEGINNING OF THE PERSONAL TAX YEAR

You might wonder why our tax year runs from 6 April one year to the 5 April the following year.This question was posed recently by a client and we thereforeRead more

News

Wealth briefing have covered Matthew Braithwaite joining Wedlake Bell

Who’s Moving Where In Wealth Management? Lockhart, Wedlake Bell, Others London law firm Wedlake Bell has added Matthew Braithwaite, a partner to its private client group. He joins from BirchamRead more

News

Wedlake Bell further bolsters the firm’s Private Client Group with new Partner

City law firm Wedlake Bell is pleased to announce further growth of its Private Client Group which has been strengthened by the recent addition of Partner, Matthew Braithwaite, who joinsRead more

News

The Latest on the deemed Domicile Rules (2018) Webinar

Income Tax and Capital Gains tax have been affected by changes to the deemed domicile rules in force from 6 April 2017. This webinar will provide you with a guideRead more