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Trust Establishment, Administration & Taxation Lawyers
With many families reviewing their personal estate planning, many are looking to trusts as a means to protect their assets.
Trust Establishment: What do I need to consider?
Trusts are a popular structure for families to use but it is important to make the trust work for you and your personal circumstances. There are various options to choose from - whether a traditional domestic trust or perhaps an alternative structure. Equally, your interests may suit a more commercial structure such as a partnership or company. In some complex cases a tailor made structure might combine all of these elements.
An integral part of our advice will be to focus on the tax implications and whether the on-going financial commitments warrant the return. A sound understanding of your financial, business and family circumstances and objectives is essential. We will co-ordinate and “project manage” work requiring the involvement of advisers in other fields and jurisdictions.
For more information about international trust structures and wealth planning, please click here.
As well as advising founders or “settlors” and their families, we also support trustees.
Trust Management: How do I manage a trust once established?
Many of our clients like us to maintain and administer their trusts. We manage over 800 trusts on behalf of clients; some of these have been in existence for generations, but many are more recent. These cover UK resident family, charitable and personal injury trusts, with a wide range of trust assets including cash, investments, family company shares, land and houses.
We support UK trustees in the management, accounting and tax issues they face, including:
- providing professional trustees where required, including our own dedicated trust corporation
- preparing trust accounts and financial statements
- liaising as required with investment advisers
- managing all the trust's tax affairs, including calculating tax liabilities, meeting HMRC compliance requirements and dealing with beneficiaries' trust tax affairs
- recording the trust's investment policies and monitoring investment performance.
Meet the team
Our awards
Related pages
International Wealth Structuring
We advise international individuals, and their trustees and advisers, on the establishment and administration of asset holding structures.
Mental Capacity & Court of Protection
For those preparing documents to help protect finances and welfare when you no longer have the capacity to act.
Private Property
For those with personal property assets or those looking to purchase them.
Private Wealth
We enable people to make the most of their wealth now and in the future. No other private wealth law firm has the scale, reach and breadth of services.
Private Wealth Disputes
We provide tailored solutions for all varieties of domestic and international disputes for families and private wealth professionals.
Reputation Management
Our team of experienced media dispute specialists is highly attuned to advising private individuals on ‘reputation management’ issues.
Tax Disputes & Investigations
Handling disputes and investigations for you across all areas of tax.
Wealth Structuring
For those wishing to draft a Will to distribute their assets through efficient structures.
What's important to you is important to us. Let's talk
If you would like to speak to a member of our Private Client team or to find out more about how we work, please get in touch.
Our thinking
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Mary Perham and Charis Thorton write for Wealth Briefing on gifting property and key points to consider
Mary Perham
In the Press
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Henry Fea and Hannah Wall write for STEP Journal on navigating trusteeship
Henry Fea
In the Press
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Beyond Downton Abbey: the legal issues facing modern Landed Estates
Katie Talbot
Insights
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Bloomberg Tax quotes Dominic Lawrance on a UK ruling (Fowler v HMRC) that raises questions about the carried interest tax plan
Dominic Lawrance
In the Press
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Gen Z: Parental influence and navigating strings attached finance
William Marriott
Insights
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The Sunday Express quotes Julia Cox on the rumoured changes to inheritance tax gifting in the UK ahead of the Autumn Budget
Julia Cox
In the Press
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Farmers Weekly quotes Henry Fea on how IHT exemption for significant heritage property works
Henry Fea
In the Press
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Jonathan Rothwell and Dominic Lawrance write for Tax Journal on a recent Upper Tribunal decision (d’Angelin v HMRC [2025] UKUT 212 (TCC)) and issues surrounding the application and potential pitfalls of business investment relief
Jonathan Rothwell
In the Press
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The Telegraph quotes Henry Fea on the rising interest in conditional exemption for landowners
Henry Fea
In the Press
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The Financial Times quotes Catrin Harrison on wealthy individuals increasingly using life insurance to manage inheritance tax bills
Catrin Harrison
In the Press
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Professional Adviser quotes Julia Cox on the potential for a future UK 'wealth tax'
Julia Cox
In the Press
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Racheal Muldoon writes for the Financial Times on whether individuals can pass down digital assets in their will
In the Press
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Luxembourg Times quotes Yacine Diallo on the revamp of Luxembourg's impatriate regime and the associated benefits
Yacine Diallo
In the Press
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Mike Barrington and Mary Perham write for Tax Adviser on what the proposed changes to business property relief mean for investors and entrepreneurs, and for their businesses
Mike Barrington
In the Press
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The Telegraph quotes Julia Cox on the use of Family Investment Companies for inheritance planning
Julia Cox
In the Press
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Grégoire Uldry and Alexia Egger Castillo write for Wealth Briefing on relocation to Switzerland and trusts
Grégoire Uldry
In the Press
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Sarah Wray writes for Professional Adviser on the inheritance tax consultation on agricultural and business property relief
Sarah Wray
In the Press