Succession planning

Succession planning helps families prepare for the future by setting out how assets, responsibilities and decision making will pass from one generation to the next. Our team works with individuals and families to establish arrangements that reflect their values and long-term goals.

We take time to understand each family’s circumstances and to help them create structures that offer clarity, continuity and reassurance for future generations. This can involve considering how different family members may be involved over time and how plans can be adapted as needs change.

The succession planning process 

Stages of effective succession planning 

An effective succession planning process begins with understanding your priorities and reviewing any existing arrangements. This may include considering how wealth is managed, how decisions are made and how plans can evolve as family circumstances change.

Well documented and agreed frameworks help families navigate sensitive discussions and reduce uncertainty around future responsibilities which can lead to conflict. Taking a phased approach supports constructive decision making and provides space for each stage to be considered carefully.

For many families, this process also creates an opportunity to record shared intentions and provide future generations with a clear point of reference.
 

Succession planning strategies for families

Governance, long term intentions and family dynamics 

Developing a succession planning strategy involves aligning long term intentions with the practical steps required to support future generations. Our team helps families establish governance arrangements that provide clarity around involvement, decision making and stewardship of shared assets.

Families often find value in setting out roles, responsibilities and guiding principles that help future discussions remain constructive. These arrangements can support smoother transitions and help family members understand how decisions will be approached over time to mitigate the potential for disputes or disagreement.

We work closely with clients and their advisers to ensure that plans remain flexible, resilient and suited to changes in personal or family circumstances.
 

How our succession planning lawyers can help

Clear structures for future stability

Our succession planning lawyers support clients in creating the legal and governance frameworks that underpin long term family stability. We advise on the structures needed to reflect personal objectives, protect family wealth and provide clarity for future generations.

Support can involve coordinating advice across different professional advisers and bringing together information that helps families build a clear picture of their future intentions. This helps ensure that succession arrangements remain aligned with wider planning.

By taking an integrated approach, we help ensure that succession plans stay relevant and effective as families and circumstances develop.

Track record

Head of family office

We act as the primary point of contact to the Family Office for worldwide tax, estate planning and asset protection queries for a Monaco-resident principal and the related trust/corporate structures established for his children, providing multi-level structuring advice (trust and corporate) and coordinating local counsel across jurisdictions to deliver project-managed, cross-border solutions, including succession planning for significant Jersey family trusts (governance and potential migration), coordination between Jersey and Australian structures to support obligations to children from two marriages (including entrepreneurial support for older children), and advice on incentivisation arrangements, with strong potential for ongoing multi-jurisdictional work as the children’s circumstances evolve.

UK family office

Acting for a long-standing UK family office (c.30+ years) overseeing UK and offshore trusts holding a substantial UK commercial real estate portfolio (including hotels, student accommodation and retail), advising over the past 12 months on governance and succession planning (including drafting a family constitution), trustee liaison across jurisdictions, next-generation engagement and education, and UK–France succession and tax structuring in relation to French property holdings, including support on disposals.

Managing director of TA Associates

Advising a London-based private equity managing director on establishing and funding three Jersey-law limited partnerships (one per minor child) with bespoke governance to facilitate US$30m of lifetime gifting (US$10m per child) ahead of the Autumn Budget, using corporate general partners owned by the client and bare trust arrangements to hold each child’s limited partnership interest, and providing end-to-end project management (including selection of jurisdiction and service providers, succession planning and future-flexibility structuring, coordination with UK and Channel Islands advisers, and commissioning UK regulatory advice to shape the client’s director involvement), delivering a tailored solution for a sophisticated client with both UK and US tax profiles.

HNW former hedge fund manager

Advising a billionaire former hedge fund manager on the structuring, establishment and ongoing operation of a family office and its downstream investments, including reviewing and optimising the tax structuring of multiple fund interests in light of UK non-dom reforms and the client’s planned departure from the UK (while remaining until children finish school), and addressing complex cross-border UK/US tax issues arising from significant US investments and ongoing hedge fund-related compensation by coordinating our London-based US-qualified private client team with colleagues in our US office to analyse fund mechanics and implement structures that preserve the client’s required control and economic rights alongside wider succession planning objectives.

HNW entrepreneur

Acting for an Australian entrepreneur (nine-figure exit) on designing and implementing a cross-border family office and asset-holding platform focused on near-term tax efficiency and global investment deployment across Australia, the US and Asia, including establishing a Singapore investment company to manage East Asia/Australian investments, advising on US investments with our US-qualified London team, and supporting the Swiss office on employee incentivisation, alongside longer-term succession and governance planning for the client’s children (including Jersey trust structures to remove ownership from the Swiss office) and personal UK tax analysis in connection with the client’s planned departure from the UK following non-dom reforms, demonstrating our ability to coordinate integrated UK/US/Singapore advice.

HNW couple

Advising a married US/UK-connected couple (UK resident) on integrated estate and lifetime planning following implementation of coordinated US/UK wills in 2024, including establishing a US-compliant UK family limited partnership in 2025 as a gifting and succession planning vehicle, delivering associated UK and US tax advice in relation to substantial cross-border assets and real estate (UK/US/France) and significant vested stock holdings in a US-listed company in which the husband is president, and providing ongoing UK residence and Statutory Residence Test advice as the family considers leaving the UK.

Head of family office

We act as the primary point of contact to the Family Office for worldwide tax, estate planning and asset protection queries for a Monaco-resident principal and the related trust/corporate structures established for his children, providing multi-level structuring advice (trust and corporate) and coordinating local counsel across jurisdictions to deliver project-managed, cross-border solutions, including succession planning for significant Jersey family trusts (governance and potential migration), coordination between Jersey and Australian structures to support obligations to children from two marriages (including entrepreneurial support for older children), and advice on incentivisation arrangements, with strong potential for ongoing multi-jurisdictional work as the children’s circumstances evolve.

HNW entrepreneur

Acting for an Australian entrepreneur (nine-figure exit) on designing and implementing a cross-border family office and asset-holding platform focused on near-term tax efficiency and global investment deployment across Australia, the US and Asia, including establishing a Singapore investment company to manage East Asia/Australian investments, advising on US investments with our US-qualified London team, and supporting the Swiss office on employee incentivisation, alongside longer-term succession and governance planning for the client’s children (including Jersey trust structures to remove ownership from the Swiss office) and personal UK tax analysis in connection with the client’s planned departure from the UK following non-dom reforms, demonstrating our ability to coordinate integrated UK/US/Singapore advice.

Head of family office

We act as the primary point of contact to the Family Office for worldwide tax, estate planning and asset protection queries for a Monaco-resident principal and the related trust/corporate structures established for his children, providing multi-level structuring advice (trust and corporate) and coordinating local counsel across jurisdictions to deliver project-managed, cross-border solutions, including succession planning for significant Jersey family trusts (governance and potential migration), coordination between Jersey and Australian structures to support obligations to children from two marriages (including entrepreneurial support for older children), and advice on incentivisation arrangements, with strong potential for ongoing multi-jurisdictional work as the children’s circumstances evolve.

UK family office

Acting for a long-standing UK family office (c.30+ years) overseeing UK and offshore trusts holding a substantial UK commercial real estate portfolio (including hotels, student accommodation and retail), advising over the past 12 months on governance and succession planning (including drafting a family constitution), trustee liaison across jurisdictions, next-generation engagement and education, and UK–France succession and tax structuring in relation to French property holdings, including support on disposals.

Managing director of TA Associates

Advising a London-based private equity managing director on establishing and funding three Jersey-law limited partnerships (one per minor child) with bespoke governance to facilitate US$30m of lifetime gifting (US$10m per child) ahead of the Autumn Budget, using corporate general partners owned by the client and bare trust arrangements to hold each child’s limited partnership interest, and providing end-to-end project management (including selection of jurisdiction and service providers, succession planning and future-flexibility structuring, coordination with UK and Channel Islands advisers, and commissioning UK regulatory advice to shape the client’s director involvement), delivering a tailored solution for a sophisticated client with both UK and US tax profiles.

HNW former hedge fund manager

Advising a billionaire former hedge fund manager on the structuring, establishment and ongoing operation of a family office and its downstream investments, including reviewing and optimising the tax structuring of multiple fund interests in light of UK non-dom reforms and the client’s planned departure from the UK (while remaining until children finish school), and addressing complex cross-border UK/US tax issues arising from significant US investments and ongoing hedge fund-related compensation by coordinating our London-based US-qualified private client team with colleagues in our US office to analyse fund mechanics and implement structures that preserve the client’s required control and economic rights alongside wider succession planning objectives.

HNW entrepreneur

Acting for an Australian entrepreneur (nine-figure exit) on designing and implementing a cross-border family office and asset-holding platform focused on near-term tax efficiency and global investment deployment across Australia, the US and Asia, including establishing a Singapore investment company to manage East Asia/Australian investments, advising on US investments with our US-qualified London team, and supporting the Swiss office on employee incentivisation, alongside longer-term succession and governance planning for the client’s children (including Jersey trust structures to remove ownership from the Swiss office) and personal UK tax analysis in connection with the client’s planned departure from the UK following non-dom reforms, demonstrating our ability to coordinate integrated UK/US/Singapore advice.

HNW couple

Advising a married US/UK-connected couple (UK resident) on integrated estate and lifetime planning following implementation of coordinated US/UK wills in 2024, including establishing a US-compliant UK family limited partnership in 2025 as a gifting and succession planning vehicle, delivering associated UK and US tax advice in relation to substantial cross-border assets and real estate (UK/US/France) and significant vested stock holdings in a US-listed company in which the husband is president, and providing ongoing UK residence and Statutory Residence Test advice as the family considers leaving the UK.

Head of family office

We act as the primary point of contact to the Family Office for worldwide tax, estate planning and asset protection queries for a Monaco-resident principal and the related trust/corporate structures established for his children, providing multi-level structuring advice (trust and corporate) and coordinating local counsel across jurisdictions to deliver project-managed, cross-border solutions, including succession planning for significant Jersey family trusts (governance and potential migration), coordination between Jersey and Australian structures to support obligations to children from two marriages (including entrepreneurial support for older children), and advice on incentivisation arrangements, with strong potential for ongoing multi-jurisdictional work as the children’s circumstances evolve.

HNW former hedge fund manager

Advising a billionaire former hedge fund manager on the structuring, establishment and ongoing operation of a family office and its downstream investments, including reviewing and optimising the tax structuring of multiple fund interests in light of UK non-dom reforms and the client’s planned departure from the UK (while remaining until children finish school), and addressing complex cross-border UK/US tax issues arising from significant US investments and ongoing hedge fund-related compensation by coordinating our London-based US-qualified private client team with colleagues in our US office to analyse fund mechanics and implement structures that preserve the client’s required control and economic rights alongside wider succession planning objectives.

HNW entrepreneur

Acting for an Australian entrepreneur (nine-figure exit) on designing and implementing a cross-border family office and asset-holding platform focused on near-term tax efficiency and global investment deployment across Australia, the US and Asia, including establishing a Singapore investment company to manage East Asia/Australian investments, advising on US investments with our US-qualified London team, and supporting the Swiss office on employee incentivisation, alongside longer-term succession and governance planning for the client’s children (including Jersey trust structures to remove ownership from the Swiss office) and personal UK tax analysis in connection with the client’s planned departure from the UK following non-dom reforms, demonstrating our ability to coordinate integrated UK/US/Singapore advice.

HNW couple

Advising a married US/UK-connected couple (UK resident) on integrated estate and lifetime planning following implementation of coordinated US/UK wills in 2024, including establishing a US-compliant UK family limited partnership in 2025 as a gifting and succession planning vehicle, delivering associated UK and US tax advice in relation to substantial cross-border assets and real estate (UK/US/France) and significant vested stock holdings in a US-listed company in which the husband is president, and providing ongoing UK residence and Statutory Residence Test advice as the family considers leaving the UK.

Head of family office

We act as the primary point of contact to the Family Office for worldwide tax, estate planning and asset protection queries for a Monaco-resident principal and the related trust/corporate structures established for his children, providing multi-level structuring advice (trust and corporate) and coordinating local counsel across jurisdictions to deliver project-managed, cross-border solutions, including succession planning for significant Jersey family trusts (governance and potential migration), coordination between Jersey and Australian structures to support obligations to children from two marriages (including entrepreneurial support for older children), and advice on incentivisation arrangements, with strong potential for ongoing multi-jurisdictional work as the children’s circumstances evolve.

HNW entrepreneur

Acting for an Australian entrepreneur (nine-figure exit) on designing and implementing a cross-border family office and asset-holding platform focused on near-term tax efficiency and global investment deployment across Australia, the US and Asia, including establishing a Singapore investment company to manage East Asia/Australian investments, advising on US investments with our US-qualified London team, and supporting the Swiss office on employee incentivisation, alongside longer-term succession and governance planning for the client’s children (including Jersey trust structures to remove ownership from the Swiss office) and personal UK tax analysis in connection with the client’s planned departure from the UK following non-dom reforms, demonstrating our ability to coordinate integrated UK/US/Singapore advice.

Our team

Christopher Groves

Christopher Groves

Partner | London

Christopher Groves

Partner | London

Private client and tax

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Charlie Tee

Charlie Tee

Partner | London

Charlie Tee

Partner | London

Private client and tax

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Ceri Vokes

Ceri Vokes

CEO-elect | London

Ceri Vokes

CEO-elect | London

Private client and tax

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Fernando Gandioli

Fernando Gandioli

Partner | Milan

Fernando Gandioli

Partner | Milan

Private client and tax

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