The Business of Succession

Wedlake Bell acts as a legal custodian to family offices and family businesses.

Our specialist service looks after the full spectrum of matters that affect family offices and businesses – big, medium and small – equipping you with the legal foundations for succession after succession.

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

Our team of highly experienced lawyers can guide you through matters from advice on choosing a corporate structure, to the effective management of real estate interests, through to succession planning.

What our clients say about us:We consider Wedlake Bell to be an instrumental partner to our family office. Through the years, they’ve shown they have deep expertise in the business critical matters and are able to advise with our best interests in mind.

How we make you generation proof

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.

 

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

For example, 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 are empowered by 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. Our Trans European Law Firms Alliance has 600 legal experts across Europe, as well as Australia and China; USLAW, of which we are a member, has legal experts in over 160 offices around the world, including the USA, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the Dominican Republic and China.
  • 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.
  • Safeguard against cybersecurity threats and risks with advice from our data protection experts, who can help you keep your private data firmly in the right hands. Our data protection experts work across Business Services and Private Client practices ensure you remain compliant when globalising and outsourcing.

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