International tax, estate and succession planning

Structuring wealth to protect international interests

Global lifestyles can make managing wealth and taxes complex, especially if you have assets and investments in different countries. At Clarke Willmott, we can help you create a long-term, tax-efficient succession plan to preserve, administer and enhance your international wealth, ensuring you don’t pay more tax than you need to while also remaining compliant with all relevant UK regulations.

We act for clients who are based exclusively in the UK as well as overseas residents with assets in the UK or family members with UK connections. They value our ability to consider their situation ‘in the round’ and to work closely with them, our colleagues across Clarke Willmott and our connections in other countries to find pragmatic solutions to even the most complex issues.

Cross-border tax planning specialists

Those with assets and investments in different countries, as well as ex-pats, non-doms, and foreign nationals living in the UK are all affected by international tax law. This brings a number of different regimes, regulations, and cultural issues into play.

Taking advantage of all the potential opportunities for tax efficiency while also remaining legally compliant is both complicated and time-consuming. And that’s where our in-depth technical knowledge really comes into its own.

Our team includes a number of chartered tax advisers and members of the STEP with specialist cross-border qualifications who can advise you on bespoke tax strategies and manage them on your behalf. This includes:

• The tax and inheritance regimes you will be subject to and how to resolve any conflicts
• Tax structuring, including the use of trusts and their treatment in other countries
• The implications of the EU Succession Regulation (Brussels IV)
• Tax compliance, double taxation and reliefs
• Family business tax structuring
• Lifetime giving including philanthropy

We can also advise on all aspects of UK taxation, including capital gains, income and inheritance tax planning as well as complex tax structures for overseas residents, and prepare all necessary UK income tax returns.

How our private wealth solicitors can help

Our private client solicitors have years of experience in advising wealthy individuals, business owners, trustees, non-doms and non-UK residents. They are particularly adept in devising tax-efficient strategies that are carefully tailored to each client’s unique circumstances, family dynamics and personal objectives.

We offer a comprehensive range of advice and services, including:

Succession and estate planning

We can help you plan for the inheritance of global wealth, ensuring that the process is effective, tax efficient and focused on maximising benefit for future generations. This includes determining the optimum method for holding and transferring foreign assets and business succession planning involving overseas interests.

Complex and cross-border wills

We can advise on whether it’s best for you to have a single UK Will or multiple Wills to ensure your inheritance plans are valid in all relevant jurisdictions.

We can also advise on lasting powers of attorney, and Living Wills across borders. As well as wills trusts (acting as professional trustees when required), foreign probate matters, and on re-sealing grants for assets held in commonwealth countries.

Trusts and alternative structures

We are highly experienced in setting up and managing trusts, both onshore and offshore.

We can also help you to hold and protect assets for the next generation by advising on alternatives to trust structures, both in the UK and abroad. For example, family investment companies and family limited partnerships.

International asset protection

We can advise you on how best to protect your global assets, including the impact of UK reporting of assets located in a different country.

We can also advise you on retaining control of assets in cross-border divorce settlements or family disputes, as well as managing the financial affairs of elderly and vulnerable family members in other countries.

Wills involving foreign assets

Wills can be complex and difficult to write, especially when your assets or beneficiaries are located across several jurisdictions. However, it’s vital your Will is appropriate for each jurisdiction, so it can be lawfully executed and doesn’t create problems for your beneficiaries after your death.

At Clarke Willmott, we have considerable expertise in advising on high-value international Wills and estates, including those with complex tax implications. We are highly experienced in preparing Wills to protect overseas assets, including forced heirship considerations, spousal rights, testamentary freedom, conflicts of law and the creation of local Wills to cover assets held in a specific jurisdiction.

Why choose Clarke Willmott to protect your overseas interests?

• International expertise without the city price tag – thanks to our regional office structure, we can provide the highest calibre legal expertise at a very reasonable price.
• Breadth of experience – we have been advising individuals and their families for over one hundred years and our Private Client team is now one of the UK’s largest
• Committed to you and your family – we act as an adviser to your family, providing first class legal counsel and personal support.
• Outstanding expertise – our partner-led team includes several chartered tax advisers as well as members of STEP.
• A wealth of legal expertise to draw upon – we can easily tap into the skills of our land and property, commercial law and family law, and Court of Protection experts to ensure your succession plans are fully integrated.

Contact a specialist tax and estate planning solicitor

For expert advice on any aspect of international estate planning and tax, please contact our specialist team of international private client solicitors on 0800 652 8025 or contact us online. We work with clients around the world from our offices in Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester, Southampton, Taunton, London and Birmingham.