Private Client
We are all adjusting to life during the Covid-19 pandemic and the numerous challenges it presents. At Wedlake Bell our focus has always been on meeting the needs of our clients, and it is times like this that serve as a reminder of the importance of having the appropriate measures in place to protect not only yourself and your family, but also your property and any business interests. The Private Client team is available to help with any questions you may have concerning your affairs, and can provide the usual first class legal advice and personal service to which our clients are accustomed. Our bulletin ‘Covid-19 – Wealth protection and Planning in times of distress’ sets out some essential legal housekeeping tips to help keep on top of your affairs.
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
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 exit… Read more →
News
Remote witnessing: no longer a remote possibility for Wills- Today’s Wills and Probate
Head of the Private Client Disputes Team, Caroline Miller, and solicitor Katie Turney comment and discuss the Government’s recent landmark announcement that it will be introducing temporary legislation to allow Wills… Read more →
News
The Office of Tax Simplification – Capital Gains Tax review – Call for Evidence Consultation Response: Wedlake Bell LLP
The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has asked the Office of Tax Simplification (“OTS“) to review capital gains tax (“CGT“) and their ‘Call for Evidence’ was published on 14 July 2020. The… Read 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, the… Read more →
News
New Online LPA Service
In light of the current Covid-19 crisis, many organisations have realised the ever increasing importance of using technology to manage processes which were previously dealt with by postal correspondence. One… Read 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 preparatory… Read more →
News
UHNW estate planning during a market crash – Transferring wealth to the next generation- ePrivateClient
Head of the Private Client Team, Jenny Cutts, discusses whether the impact of a market crash and lower asset values provides opportunities for ultra-high-net-worth individuals to carry out estate planning… Read more →
News
Video witnessing of Wills to be made legal
After months of speculation as to whether the rules regarding the witnessing of Wills would be relaxed during the pandemic, the government has announced that it is introducing legislation in… Read more →
News
How to plan for a potential UK wealth tax- EPrivateClient
Partner in the Private Client team Camilla Wallace writes about the possibility of a wealth tax being introduced by the government as a result of Covid-19 and record levels of… Read more →
News
The Chancellor’s Capital Gains Tax review: is a tax hike around the corner?
After announcing a further £30bn worth of policies and tax cuts in his summer statement, it seems logical to assume that the Chancellor Rishi Sunak is looking for ways to… Read more →
News
CORPORATE RESIDENCE IN THE CONTEXT OF COVID-19
Under the UK tax code, companies that are not incorporated in the UK (non-UK companies) may be resident in the UK for tax purposes if their “central management and control”… Read more →
News
Emily Minett explores common issues that COVID-19 poses for grant-making charities.
Can we use video or telephone conferencing to hold trustee meetings? The first step is to review your charity’s governing document to see if it contains any express provisions enabling… Read more →
News
Acting as an Executor during Covid-19
Acting as an Executor for a deceased loved one is hard enough at the best of times, but the Covid-19 crisis and resulting lockdown have made many aspects of administering… Read more →
News
FAMILY OFFICES AND CROSS-BORDER SUCCESSION PLANNING DURING COVID-19 Campden FB
Family offices increasingly have to navigate the complexities of cross border legal issues: a necessary side-effect of globalisation. The family office will consequently need advisers on issues such as tax,… Read more →
News
Making a will during COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic is leading to a rise in the number of people making or updating their Wills. Although lockdown measures are starting to loosen, concerns about the risk of… Read more →
Legal Podcast
Episode 15: Lasting Powers of Attorney
Ann Stanyer’s recent podcast about Health & Welfare Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) highlights the importance of making these documents, and keeping them under review, especially during these challenging times.
News
Covid-19: Update on court hearings and mediations
As of 20 April 2020, there were 159 open courts in England & Wales dealing with essential face-to-face hearings. Telephone and video hearings are increasingly being used for non-essential face-to-face… Read more →
News
COVID-19 – WEALTH PROTECTION AND PLANNING IN TIMES OF DISTRESS
The coronavirus pandemic has pervaded all aspects of life, both personal and professional, without discrimination. Below are some essential legal housekeeping tips to keep on top of your affairs and… Read more →
News
Fifth Money Laundering Directive and Trust Registration Service
We have responded to H M Treasury’s further consultation on the proposed changes to the Trust Registration Service (TRS) which was published last month in order to test whether the… Read more →
News
Three tips to lock in Entrepreneurs’ Relief (whilst you still can!)
It has been widely reported in the financial press that the Chancellor will heavily restrict or even abolish Entrepreneurs’ Relief (‘ER’) in the Budget on 11 March 2020. ER is… Read more →
News
Brexit and Spanish Inheritance Tax
Now that Britain has left the European Union, UK nationals with relatives in Spain might welcome a Spanish Supreme Court ruling, confirming that non-EU residents will not have to suffer… Read more →
News
Private Client Team Awards and News
Awards Ranked in Tier I of eprivateclient’s Top Law Firms 2019 Private Client team shortlisted for STEP’s ‘Private Client Legal Team of the Year – mid size’ Camilla Wallace, Head… Read more →
News
Transposition of the Fifth Money Laundering Directive – Consultation Response: Wedlake Bell LLP
In April 2019, H M Treasury published its consultation concerning the government’s approach and its plans for the implementation of the EU Fifth Money Laundering Directive (5MLD) into national law.… Read more →
News
Capital Gains Tax: Private Residence Relief: changes to the ancillary reliefs -Consultation Response: Wedlake Bell LLP
On 1 April 2019, HM Revenue & Customs published its consultation concerning the changes to Capital Gains Tax (CGT) and Private Residence Relief. Briefly, Budget 2018 announced that the final… Read more →
Bulletins
Why make a will?
A Will is a legal document in which a person declares their intention as to what should happen to their assets after their death. You are not legally obliged to… Read more →
'The team is going from strength to strength. It is establishing itself as a growing force in this area. Andrew O'Keeffe brings a huge amount of experience to the team and Caroline Miller is steadily building a reputation as a significant player in this field'.
— Legal 500, 2020
The team has grown and developed its reputation under the leadership of Andrew O'Keeffe. He has a great ability to spot the right strategy for the right type of dispute'.
— Legal 500, 2020
'The private client team is extremely competent across a range of legal disciplines, but for me it is their empathy and emotional intelligence that stands out. They are quite unlike many firms. they take care to understand what the client wants and make them comfortable with their enggement with the law. Their advice is practical and comprehensible and properly targeted to the client's needs.'
— Chambers HNW 2019
They've got a good team of people'. 'They are a pleasure to work with.' The team is 'always helpful and responsive and takes a very practical approach to problem solving.'
— Chambers HNW 2019