Private Client
Our specialist tax, trust and estate lawyers form one of London’s longest established and most experienced Private Client practices dating back to 1780.
We provide first class legal advice on tax and estate planning, however complex. More than that, we never forget that decisions made today impact well into the future and early planning is essential to protect assets for the lifetime of the owner and for the generations which follow. This is particularly the case with our Landed Estate clients who often feel that they are merely “stewards” or “custodians” of inherited wealth.
We currently administer trusts that are now benefitting second, third and fourth generations of the same family and we often manage the probate for Wills that we helped to draft lifetimes earlier. Probate work has been the cornerstone of our practice since the firm started. That is why families and executors rely on us to guide them through what can be a burdensome administrative process – doing what we can to get things completed as quickly as possible.
Our size and team based structure allows us to get to know our clients well and therefore build a close working relationship so that we are able to offer a flexible, personal service with a high degree of partner involvement. Clients can therefore be confident that our advice is bespoke and that every detail has been considered with their specific circumstances in mind.
We provide trust and tax advice to individuals, offshore, onshore and charitable trustees, executors, personal representatives and Court of Protection Deputies. As regards the latter, specialists in our team advise on how to provide for, and protect the interests of individuals who may lack mental capacity to manage their affairs and make decisions for themselves.
Using our experience and in-depth knowledge of personal UK taxation we can assist with careful and sensible lifetime tax planning, tax planning through Wills and post-death tax planning, to help preserve wealth, meaning it can be passed down generations avoiding the payment of unnecessary taxes over the years.
We act for clients who are domiciled in the UK as well as many non-UK domiciliaries who are either resident in the UK, spend part of the year in the UK, have assets located in the UK or have family interests here. As members of the legal networks Trans European Law Firms Alliance (TELFA) and USLAW, we are well positioned to advise such international clients on cross-border issues whether that is as regards succession and estate planning, asset protection or structuring UK or global investments.
Bulletins
THE POWERS THAT BE
A comparison of the protection against the threat of financial abuse given by LPA attorneys and Court of Protection deputies. ABSTRACT This article discusses what safeguards are in place to… Read more →
Bulletins
MAJOR REFORMS TO THE TAXATION OF NON-DOMICILIARIES
On 8 September 2017, the government published Finance Bill 2017-2019 (“the Summer Finance Bill”) reintroducing the majority of the proposed reforms to the taxation of non-domiciliaries (“non-doms”) put on hold… Read more →
"With a number of excellent practitioners, Wedlake Bell LLP delivers ‘a reliable and professional service. It excels at trying to understand the needs of clients and has a diverse range of talent within the firm which can be called upon’."
— Legal 500, 2017
"The ‘very responsive and reliable’ Camilla Wallace provides a service that is ‘second to none, and she is better than most at communicating complex tax issues to clients’."
— Legal 500, 2017
"The ‘very responsive and reliable’ Camilla Wallace provides a service that is ‘second to none, and she is better than most at communicating complex tax issues to clients’. She has a modern approach to old family problems. She is very aware of the costs of the service and what is considered good value’."
— Legal 500, 2017
"Emma Loveday is ‘helpful and pragmatic’, and Eleanor Metcalf is ‘a good communicator, and provides good support and technical advice’."
— Legal 500, 2017
"Wedlake Bell LLP has ‘a very strong and experienced practice that is accustomed to dealing with high-value and complex estates and trusts".
— Legal 500, 2016
"The team's service is characterised by ‘personal chemistry both within the firm and towards the client' and by its‘ readiness to wrestle with the intractable problems and to reach wise and humane solutions".
— Legal 500, 2014