Protecting & Passing on Wealth

We have one of the largest and most experienced teams of will, estate and tax planning lawyers in Kent and the South East, which has been trusted by generations of families. We work with you to protect your assets and pass on your wealth to the next generation in the way that best suits your circumstances.

Our estate and tax planning lawyers have extensive experience of supporting high and ultra-high net worth individuals and families with complex asset structures and international elements. We can help you to plan for the future and minimise your tax liabilities, for example through the use of trusts and other appropriate structures.

Working with us, you will benefit from the support and collective experience of the whole firm. We offer a strong network of lawyers to provide a comprehensive service, including probate, trust management, tax compliance, family law, The Court of Protection and buying or selling a home.

It is only natural to wish to pass on your wealth to benefit your loved ones or create a lasting legacy by giving to charity. The truth is that you are never too young to think about what will happen to your family – especially your children – and your assets when you pass away. In fact, your will is arguably one of the most important documents you will ever sign.

Our team of will, estate and tax planning lawyers in the South East has been trusted to deliver peace of mind to generations of families. We pride ourselves on building long lasting relationships with our clients, developing a deep understanding of their individual needs, and tailoring our services accordingly.

For more details on how we can support you, please visit our making a will page.

An estate plan is a broader plan of action for your assets that may apply during your life as well as after your death.

For many people with relatively straightforward assets and circumstances, a simple will should suffice. However, if you have more complex circumstances such as international assets or business assets, or if you wish to take advice on tax planning or setting up trusts, then an estate plan is recommended.

Our estate and tax planning lawyers have extensive experience of supporting high and ultra-high net worth individuals and families with complex asset structures and international elements.

To learn more about how we can help and the process involved, visit our dedicated Estate planning page.

Once seen as a tax exclusively on the super wealthy, the Inheritance Tax (IHT) net is creeping ever wider, partly due to rising property prices.

Currently, IHT is paid at 40% on the value of an estate over the Nil Rate Band (NRB), which since 2009 has been set at £325,000 for an individual and £650,000 for a couple. This amount can be reduced by certain gifts and transfers during lifetime. There is also a Residence Nil-Rate Band (RNRB), which means if you are leaving your main home to children or grandchildren and your estate is worth under £2 million, you (and your spouse) can benefit from an additional £175,000 allowance each.

These thresholds have been frozen until 2030, which means even more estates will potentially be impacted by IHT.

Our Inheritance Tax experts have extensive experience of working with individuals and families to help them significantly reduce their exposure to IHT. The key is to plan ahead.

You can find additional information on our Minimising your exposure to Inheritance Tax page.

Trusts can potentially be beneficial for Inheritance Tax planning, asset protection and wealth accumulation.

We have extensive experience in setting up and managing a wide range of trusts including:

• Discretionary trusts
• Life interest trusts
• Bare trusts
• Charitable trusts
• Insurance trusts
• Personal injury trusts
• Will trusts.

We also have an expert Trust & Tax Management team, who can assist with everything related to managing trusts.

See our Creating a trust page for further information.

A Family Investment Company (FIC) is a bespoke private company, which can be used as a tax-efficient alternative to family trusts. A FIC is a flexible structure, allowing families to define how specific family members benefit through varying rights attaching to shares, or the number of shares in issue. The directors and shareholders of the FIC are normally family members. As with trusts, the structure of the FIC can enable parents/grandparents to retain control over assets, whilst accumulating wealth in a tax-efficient environment and facilitating future succession planning. It is preferable to set up FICs with cash (usually by loan), as the transfer of property or shares could create capital gains tax and stamp duty liabilities.

For more details on how we can support you, please see our Family Investment Company page.

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document in which you appoint one or more people (the attorneys) to act on your behalf, in circumstances where you no longer have capacity to make decisions yourself. You can decide who you appoint, what powers they have and specify any wishes you want followed.

Having an LPA in place can avoid the expense and the potential difficulties of a Court of Protection Deputyship application if you later need someone to act on your behalf.

Our experienced and friendly lawyers have extensive experience in helping people to put Lasting Powers of Attorney in place.

Visit our dedicated LPA page here.

A deed of variation is an under-used but very inheritance tax effective measure. It is used when a beneficiary inherits from an estate, but wishes to remove that inheritance from their own estate to avoid a future inheritance tax liability on their own death. If a deed of variation is used to create a trust, the beneficiary will potentially still be able to benefit from the inheritance going forward.

To learn more about making a post death deed of variation visit our dedicated page.

Families today come in all shapes and sizes, redefining the traditional social structure of a husband, wife and 2.4 children.

We support all types of family and recognise that those who fall outside the ‘nuclear’ family set-up may have specific estate planning needs. Our expert lawyers can help a wide range families.

We can advise on issues such as:

• Making a will and estate planning
• Minimising your exposure to inheritance tax
• Creating a trust or family investment company
• Creating lasting powers of attorney
• Making a post death deed of variation

For more information, please click here.