The Business of Succession

Succession is our business. Our practice of specialist real estate, private client and corporate and disputes lawyers dates back to 1780. So, we’ve been through some succession ourselves.

This knowledge hub is here to help you broach some of the complex yet inevitable challenges surrounding succession; from both a personal and professional perspective.

We too are custodians and act as legal advisers to everyone from individuals to family offices and family businesses to big corporates. Our specialist service looks after the full spectrum of matters that affect these entities – big, medium, small; domestic or international – equipping you with the legal foundations for success after succession.

We pride ourselves on being able to guide you through anything from advice on choosing a corporate structure, to the effective management of real estate interests, through to succession planning.

Change is ever-present, our full service team looks forward to working together with you on all of your succession challenges for generations to come. Your heritage equals our future.

According to Forbes, your family office or business may not make it through its first succession. Family offices and businesses fall prey to myriad risks year-on-year, from cybersecurity, to investment plans, to succession.

But with the right, strategic legal counsel, you can make sure your family office or business’ continuity is not a function of the choices of succeeding generations, nor of the instability of markets – all the while, bolstering your underlying business development objectives.

How we make you generation proof

Wedlake Bell currently provides first-class legal advice to first class legal advice to individuals, family offices and businesses now enjoying their second, third and fourth generations.

We act as your legal custodian to help you:

Structure property deals in the most effective way so you can seize better deals, faster. Our Real Estate teams advise on every aspect of building a property portfolio, including development, purchase, ownership, management, rental, sale and all types of tax implications.
Remain compliant with employment laws within the UK and internationally, especially amid the changing nature of employment practices with remote working. Our Business Services teams alongside iGlobal Law to help you ensure you follow country-specific employment, data and privacy laws in over 60 jurisdictions.
Be guided through business-critical decisions to achieve positive results for the business and family. Our Corporate team is comprised of legal experts whose insights into commercial matters have helped everyone from start-ups to established multinational companies.
Globalise assets in multiple jurisdictions, fully informed of how to make international transactions and issues, via our global networks.
Understand how to avoid disputes. Our Disputes Resolution teams work across all areas – Private Client, Business Services and Real Estate – to resolve potential issues before they become litigation.
Handle family and divorce matters that could impact the wider business. Our expertise in dealing with family agreements, such as pre-nuptial agreements, means we can advise you on the positives and negatives of different options.