Personal

Family office & family business

Family businesses

Many successful international families have fortunes built on a family-owned business, and other families or entrepreneurs are looking to start new business ventures. For many years we have provided the legal support needed for a variety of business sizes and structures. We understand the differences and similarities between family-owned and publicly owned enterprises, and regularly act for both.

We advise businesses on corporate, commercial and tax issues at all stages of the development cycle, from inception to expansion through acquisition or merger, corporate financing, management buyout or flotation, and even to privatization or liquidation.

We also work with entrepreneurs, families and trustee clients on the many personal considerations arising from their businesses - from governance and management succession to domestic and international tax issues.

Recent work

  • Advising a multi-generational family owned business on an exit strategy that involved inheritance tax planning for the senior generation and the separation of assets between three branches of the succeeding generation and their families. The planning involved a reclassification of shares, payment of dividend and a demerger of the business between the three branches of the succeeding generation.
  • Advising a family business on private equity investment to further growth.
  • Advising on employee incentivization schemes using the shares of the company, employee benefit trusts and other tools.

© Withers 2007 - 2008