Tax, Trusts & Succession
Michelmores has one of the strongest private wealth practices in the South West benefiting from a history and tradition dating back over a century combined with a modern and proactive approach to providing practical and cost-effective solutions for our clients. Our aim is to provide a fast, efficient, competitive and friendly service to private clients in all aspects of their legal requirements. Our team is top ranked by independent legal guides, Chambers High Net Worth 2022 and the Legal 500 UK who recognise lawyers Sandra Brown, Jennifer Ridgway, Tony Cockayne and Edward Porter for their expertise.
Tax Planning and Wealth Protection
No one wants to see their assets, built up over a lifetime's work, disappear in taxes when there are perfectly acceptable means of protecting this wealth.
Our team helps families structure their assets in a way that preserves wealth, both now and for future generations. We act for clients who are based exclusively in the UK as well as international families with assets in the UK or with family members with connections in the UK.
Inheritance Tax and Planning for Retirement
The right professional advice will:
- Safeguard family and business assets
- Provide strategic estate planning, including detailed knowledge of the exemptions, reliefs and tax planning techniques available to enhance your savings and assets
- Help to minimise tax liabilities on the death of a spouse
- Guide you through the complexities of succession planning and the transfer of business assets between the generations, including Inheritance Tax, Stamp Duty and Capital Gains Tax mitigation
Tax compliance and HMRC enquiry advice
Michelmores specialises in advising on tax issues for high net worth individuals and we prepare income tax returns for individuals, trusts and estates.
Remember, tax regimes, property law and family circumstances all change regularly, so a regular review of your affairs is strongly advisable.
International Tax Planning
We have a team of Lawyers capable of advising on all aspects of UK tax planning for international clients. This includes pre-residency remittance basis planning, the use of off-shore trusts and their consequences for UK based settlors and beneficiaries, the tax efficient structuring of assets, double tax treaty advice and compliance and reporting obligations.
Related Information
Related Areas
News
- Proprietary estoppel & partnership assets: New case provides useful guidance
- Michelmores commended in The Times Best Law Firms 2023
- Employee Ownership Trusts
- Trust registration rules: Further guidance for farming partnerships
- Notices to quit: Court decision provides useful guidance
- Trust Registration Service: The new registration requirements
- Changes to the Trust Registration Service
- Farmland & Partnerships: Caught by new trust registration rules
- Michelmores' female partnership level exceeds 40% with the promotion of four new partners
- The importance of a well-rounded training contract
- Michelmores recognised in The Times' list of top law firms
- How does Stamp Duty Land Tax affect the purchase of residential property for trusts?
- Inheritance Tax receipts continue to rise
- Appointing a professional trustee
- Marriage, Divorce and Separation: The Effect on Wills and Intestacy
- Michelmores advises Armstrong Capital as it joins new Beringea Estate Planning Service
- Is the UK going to get a Wealth Tax?
- CQC early findings on DNACPR use during the pandemic
- Extra time available for Inheritance Tax planning
- Inheritance Tax
- Capital Gains Tax update: will the rules be changed?
- Should I purchase a rental property through a limited company?
- Coronavirus - personal tax, wills and charities
- Inheritance Tax and offshore trusts: anniversary and exit charges
- Wills and trusts: 10 reasons to get a properly drafted Will
- Trustees and Investments
- Inheritance Tax relief on gifts to charities
- Inheritance Tax Reliefs and Grazing Licences
- Attorneys and Executors – what is the difference?
- Problems with bequests left to charities who have changed named
- Inheritance Tax Relief: Simplification could increase tax liability
- Charity Commission guidance for charities with a connection to a non-charity
- The future of Lasting Powers of Attorney?
- Offshore income gains fall outside the protected trusts rules
- Michelmores sponsors ILM Annual Conference 2019
- Trustees granted new powers by the court under section 57 of the Trustees Act 1925
- What right do beneficiaries have to request information from trustees?
- Michelmores contribute to the STEP Handbook for Advisers
- The importance of witnessing a will
- Stepfamilies and will drafting
- Getting onto the housing ladder
- Statutory residence test update
- Multi-jurisdictional exposures to tax: the pitfalls
- UK Summer Budget 2015 - Domicile
- James Frampton joins Michelmores
- Changes to the EU regime on Succession
- Keeping it in the Family
- International clients acquiring assets in the UK
Get in touch
Meet the team
Recent experience
Advice to Individuals:
Working with the owners of significant privately owned family companies to ensure an effective succession to the control and capital value of the business.
Regulatory nuptial arrangements to protect family assets, both before and after a marriage.
Advising non-domiciliaries how best to structure assets before becoming UK resident.
UK advice:
We act for more than 30 landed estates and act as trustees of a considerable number of these.
We have recently provided family constitution advice to a client with a £15m family business and a disparate successor generation.
Our Tax Compliance team has worked with our tax planning Lawyers to develop a comprehensive tax compliance and mitigation service.
Advice to trustees:
We are the sole legal advisers to the trustees of a group of eight family trusts that own significant City property interests and investment portfolios.
Have developed with the trust beneficiaries an agreed understanding of the future for the family wealth and related interests.
Advice to institutional trustees:
Advice regarding the availability of the 'motive defence' to mitigate significant beneficiary tax liabilities.
Managing a £50 million distribution of limited partnerships interests.
Negotiating warranties, indemnities and advice as to the conditions on assignment.
Advice to non-UK law firms:
Advising as to best practice for a Liechtenstein Foundation in view of the recent UK/Swiss tax agreement.
Advising as to how best to structure the tax efficient receipt by a UK resident (US citizen) of capital distributions from an existing offshore structure.
