Wills and Succession Planning

Wills are essential to the ordered devolution of your estate, to ensure your property passes to your chosen beneficiaries (which it may not if you do not make a will), and does so in the most effective way.

Wills not only allow you to choose who should benefit, and to what extent, but also enable you to:

• choose who you want to manage the administration of your estate (your “executors”);
• choose an age at which young beneficiaries inherit;
• appoint guardians of your children during their minority;
• create ongoing trusts to safeguard vulnerable beneficiaries;
• minimise your estate’s inheritance tax liability;
• Reduce administration time and expense.

Much of the work that we carry out for Private Clients involves the management of private wealth and its controlled devolution in an effective and efficient way. We pride ourselves on building long term relationships with clients and value the development of a detailed knowledge and understanding of the individual’s and their family’s circumstances.

Planning is important: the earlier that a situation can be identified; the more opportunity there is for it to be dealt with effectively and appropriately.

A core focus will be tax efficiency. Succession planning may involve measures as simple as making lifetime gifts, but will often involve use of tax effective wills. We also advise on the creation of trusts, partnerships or company structures designed to determine the destination of assets during lifetime and on death, and to afford you a degree of control and flexibility. We are widely regarded as specialists in this field, providing expert and reassuring advice to you and your family in in respect of your personal and financial needs from the cradle to grave.