High-Net-Worth Family Office

Our expert art & antiques lawyers provide strategic advice on acquisition, sale and ownership of high-value works, assisting clients with provenance disputes, export/import rules, and artist resale rights. When advising HNW collectors, estates or galleries, deep understanding of IP, taxation and cross-border regulation is essential. Our team’s extensive experience in providing bespoke guidance ensures that clients protect and develop their collections while navigating specialist auction, gallery, and inheritance contexts. 

• Safeguarded clients’ investments through the negotiation and drafting of agreements for the purchasing of significant pieces of contemporary art.
• Advised an ultra-high-net-worth billionaire Dutch client and his advisers in relation to his worldwide affairs and structures including tax planning, running his trust/corporate structures, purchasing high-end residential property, purchasing and holding a very high-value art collection, and investment in his family business.
• Drafted publishing agreements with leading publishers and all requisite contractual agreements on behalf of a world-renowned art collector.
• Acted for a collector in relation to the acquisition and restoration of a vintage Bentley.
• Advised a prominent UHNW art collector, on multiple purchases and disposals of artworks including paintings and sculpture, often with multi-jurisdictional elements including the UK, USA, and EU.

Our leading aviation lawyers advise on acquisition, sale, leasing, and operation of private aircraft and charter arrangements for high-net-worth clients. Working closely with family offices, we ensure that aviation ownership structures balance tax–efficiency, regulatory compliance, and liability protection. With a calm, commercial approach, we help clients navigate high-pressure transactions and protect their interests from the outset, whether sourcing jets, negotiating financing, or structuring shared-use arrangements within family groups. 

• Helped aviation clients develop a radical new way of contracting and charging for their technical aircraft support.
• Acted for a general aviation aircraft owner in relation to a claim against an aircraft maintenance company for negligent work causing a catastrophic loss of power mid-flight in 2018.
• Acted for HNW individuals, lessors, and financiers on aircraft purchase and sale transactions.
• Negotiated management and operational agreements for family-owned aircraft.
• Acts for UHNW clients and corporates in the acquisition of new aircraft, from green aircraft delivery through to interior completion contracts and build.
• Represented a Middle East investor on the purchase of a H145 T2 Helicopter.

Our team provide specialist advice on ownership, sale, syndication, and racing/riding rights for high-value horses. Advising clients on equine asset structuring requires a deep understanding of pedigree risk, syndicate governance, and regulatory compliance. We act for owners, breeders, and family offices, advising on contracts, tax-efficient transfers and liability issues, to protect their interests throughout breeding, competition, and disposal phases in this niche market.

• Principal legal advisers to the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, providing a legal advice helpline to their 2,500 members.
• Advised a well-known Newmarket stud farm on various thorny employment law issues.
• Acted for a leading UK stud in relation to a dispute with Tattersalls over the sale of a horse in training.
• Successfully defended at trial a tribunal claim against a Newmarket stud.
• Speaker at British Horseracing Authority trainers’ course on leadership skills.
• Helped a leading Newmarket based racehorse trainer with several different staffing issues.
• Acted for a major stallion stud in the recovery of high value nomination fees from an individual whose assets (including the relevant broodmares and other breeding stock) were the subject of a freezing order from the FCA.
• Drafting and advising on a sale and part ownership agreement for the sale for a seven figure sum of a 50% share of an Olympic dressage horse who was changing nationality.
• Provided employment law and HR advice and support to one of the leading bloodstock and stud operators. In particular, in relation to the intended exit of a senior and long serving member of staff in sensitive and difficult circumstances.
• Advised on a dispute over the sale of a leisure horse for a significant sum in circumstances where buyer and seller had their names and reputations to protect but the horse was unsatisfactory for veterinary reasons and owing to its unpredictable behaviour.
• Acted for a leading and acquisitive force in the global horse racing, breeding and bloodstock world
• Advised on contracts for the sale and training of an international show jumper.

Our expert lawyers combine sector-specific insight with reputation-management expertise, enabling us to support HNW individuals and families with brand protection and crisis response. From defamation, privacy, and media issues to influencer agreements and sponsorship disputes, we work swiftly to assess risk, protect reputations, and resolve disputes efficiently. Our strategic guidance ensures clients maintain both public prominence and personal privacy in today’s interconnected media landscape.

• Acted for a leading football manager in a libel action resulting in the highest recorded award of damages by a jury against a national newspaper.
• Acted for leading football, managers, officials, intermediaries and footballers in regulatory disputes and hearings including enquiries into corruption in football and all consequent reputational management issues.
• Acted for a renowned horse trainer and his family in reputational management issues and contractual disputes.
• Acted for senior political figures and UK and international businessmen on reputation management issues arising in the national and international media including proceedings for defamation, and engaging with national and international media including all principal written media ISP, social media and international broadcasting organisations.
• Provided reputation management advice for prominent individuals.
• Advised film and media personalities in connection with breach of privacy and defamation matters.
• Provided reputational advice to a Middle Eastern family during highly publicised litigation.
• Obtained a positive judgment in a landmark ruling for the Duchess of Sussex against Associated News in relation to a privacy and copyright claim at the pre-trial stage.
• Acting for the Tchenguiz Family Trust in a case against an Icelandic Bank for misrepresentation and damages in the amount of £1.8bn.

Our lawyers have a wealth of experience in Court of Protection matters and deputyship applications, advising on decisions for vulnerable individuals with capacity issues. Our in-depth knowledge of statutory duties, care costs, property management, and welfare considerations coupled with our compassionate and practical guidance means that we can support families, court-appointed deputies, and trustees throughout the process, helping ensure that legally compliant and appropriate decisions are made in clients’ best interests.

• Acted on behalf of a billionaire with Lewy bodies dementia, in proceedings brought by his brother; involved allegations of restrictions on contact and of manipulation and undue influence in the creation of his lasting powers of attorney.
• Acted on behalf of a very-high-net-worth Montenegrin national living with dementia; she was resident in London but her sister argued that she should be returned to live in Montenegro, against the wishes of her attorney and the relevant authorities. She remained in London in line with her latterly expressed wishes.
• Acted on the instructions of a high-net-worth individual whose wife lacked capacity to make decisions about where she lived; the relevant authority had concerns about his exercise of control over her in their marital home. The concerns were ultimately deemed unfounded.
• Acted in a Court of Protection application for a £10 million statutory gift and statutory will in a multi-million estate.
• Acted for a beneficiary of a substantial family trust (c.£20m) which concerned claims for damages in negligence against advisers to the trustees, and which included complex tax issues. The matter was resolved upon a successful application for rectification in the High Court, securing the client’s interests.

Our dispute resolution lawyers provide strategic advice to high-net-worth individuals and family offices on complex, high-value disputes. Combining commercial insight with discretion, we manage litigation, arbitration, and reputational risks across multiple jurisdictions.

• Advised a member of a wealthy family during highly publicised litigation brought by a relative, including coordinating the different legal professionals working on the case, which was won by the client.
• Acted for an oligarch defendant in a major arbitration concerning shares in the Russian company which became known as MegaFon Russia.
• Advised family members of a wealthy businessman on securing their interests under a will and avoiding any potential challenge to the gifts under it by a former partner.
• Provided reputation management advice for prominent individuals.

Our highly experienced team delivers pragmatic, industry-specific guidance that supports families, family offices, and their staff on complex employment and immigration matters. From senior domestic staff contracts to global mobility authorisations and visas, we fully understand how to navigate changing immigration law and employment regulations. Whether onboarding household staff or addressing cross-border assignments, we protect clients’ compliance and reputational interests, ensuring smooth operations and minimal disruption to family life. 

• Provided guidance on household staff pay (gross v net) and in line with industry standards and salary surveys.
• Assisted with visa and leave-to-remain applications for HNW individuals in both the investor and entrepreneur categories, to include assisting with an investor visa application for an investment bank owner.
• Assisted with a large number of family-based and European applications, to include an application for leave to remain for a very well-known international sports person.
• Assisted a family office with immigration applications, enabling family members to exceptionally switch status within the UK, bypassing the need for them to apply overseas at a time when it was dangerous to return to their home country.
• Gained a UK visa extension for the family of a deceased KSA billionaire businessman based on his profile and investments made within the UK.
• Assisted a Bahraini client in his initial entry clearance for Tier-1 Entrepreneur application. Successfully extended his visa again in June 2022. Has now advised on requirements for settlement and citizenship applications.
• Advised a wealthy investor on the immigration of his children/families outside marriage as his dependants.
• Advised high-net-worth investors who invested over £2m, £5m and £10m funds in the UK economy. Provided strategic advice from the outset on sources of funding, permitted investments, business plans, including possibilities of dependants outside marriage, to obtain indefinite leave to remain (accelerated) and settlement.
• Advised a Lebanese HNWI for last 10 years as an Investor, Entrepreneur, ILR and now on UK citizenship, together with advice for children by surrogacy from the USA.
• Assisted a wealthy family holding citizenship by investment Cypriot passports with EU and UK status during their permanent relocation to Spain, working alongside tax advisors to protect non-domicile status.
• Worked for an UHNW family in exceptional circumstances applying for entry clearance in their home country for Tier 1 Investor extensions. Working closely with Home Office officials to ensure correct process for this family of five.

With specialist advisers on estate planning and succession law, we provide commercially focused advice to HNW individuals and their families. Advising on wills, trusts, probate and estate structuring requires deep knowledge of tax and probate regimes. Our experienced team deliver endtoend support, from designing bespoke wealth-protection structures to administering estates. We ensure efficient succession planning, mitigate inheritance tax exposure, and preserve family legacies for future generations.

• Assisted in persuading HMRC that £1.5m worth of trust income received during a ten-year period should still be regarded as income and therefore excluded for an IHT ten-yearly charge.
• Advised the co-founder of a successful hedge fund on the entry and exit of a business and the structuring of personal wealth throughout the process.
• Advised an ultra-high-net-worth billionaire Dutch client and his advisers in relation to his worldwide affairs and structures including tax planning, running his trust/corporate structures, purchasing high-end residential property, purchasing and holding a very high value art collection, and investment in his family business.
• Advised one of the largest family-owned UK retail businesses in relation to a restructuring of their trust and company holding structure, asset protection, tax planning opportunities and succession planning.
• Advised an UHNW Middle Eastern family on succession and tax rules applicable for a deceased client with multiple assets in different jurisdictions, including the UK rules of intestacy, Sharia succession, French, Panamanian and Gibraltar succession rules.
• Drafted complex wills for a high-net-worth UK resident and domiciled individuals, covering business asset trusts and discretionary trusts.
• Acted for the claimant, the elderly cohabitant of a millionaire farmer, to secure further reasonable provision from the estate.
• Acted for the defendant beneficiary of a multi-million-pound estate against parallel 75 Inheritance Act claims by the widow and sibling.
• Advised a number of family offices in relation to the constitutional arrangements of private protector companies in the context of high-net-worth family trust and succession planning.

Our highly experienced lawyers advise on all aspects of family and matrimonial law affecting HNW individuals, from prenuptial agreements to divorce and child-related disputes. With a deep understanding of wealth structures, trusts, and multi-jurisdictional issues, we assist clients in reaching fair, sustainable solutions. Our calm, commercial approach helps preserve family harmony and reputations, while robustly protecting clients’ financial interests through sensitive mediation (to ensure complete privacy which is not always achievable when matters proceed through court) or litigation when necessary. 

• Drafted a prenuptial agreement for a high-profile English rock star and resolved his subsequent divorce and financial settlement in accordance with the terms of the agreement without the court’s intervention, thereby maintaining his privacy throughout.
• Successfully negotiated, through solicitors, a financial settlement for a celebrity TV couple, thereby keeping the details of their divorce out of the press.
• Acted for a wife in a very high profile pre-marital agreement involving several jurisdictions where the total assets were in excess of £15 billion.
• Mediated a highly complex financial matter which involved a global chain of restaurants and mediating various high-conflict and international clients generally.
• Advised a wife where the family business was worth in excess of £100m to ensure that she received a fair settlement without needing to involve the court process.
• Advised on a prenuptial agreement where there was dynastic wealth on one side in excess of £80m.
• Mediated complex children matters involving parents working and living in different jurisdictions.
• Advised a husband on divorce to ensure that he was able to retain his business built up during the marriage whilst resolving the financial issues.
• Obtained Mirror Orders in the South African court and English court in connection with child arrangements.
• Advised various members of the landed gentry on their pre-marital contracts and matrimonial matters involving many millions.
• Acted in financial remedy proceedings involving assets exceeding £200m across trusts, companies, and offshore structures.
• Advised a high-net-worth Egyptian national husband in a high-stakes divorce involving complex assets and significant wealth.
• Advised an ultra-high-net-worth wife in financial remedy proceedings and non-molestation proceedings, involving nearly £40 million in assets, including vested and unvested shares, complex international tax issues, and joint investments.

With deep experience in complex transactions and strategic portfolio matters, we advise high‑net‑worth individuals and family offices on the acquisition, sale, financing, and management of high‑value residential and investment properties. Our discreet, commercially focused guidance helps protect assets and support long‑term wealth objectives. 

• Advised a high-net-worth individuals and family offices concerning investment, financing and all other aspects of their real estate portfolios.
• Advised on the sale of a £25m flat purchased which included the sale of cartier pens and specialist whiskeys, which were all included within the sale of the property.
• Acted for a high-net-worth couple purchasing a £26 million family home in Holland Park.
• Acted in the purchase of a large country estate in Gloucestershire with a Grade II Listed Building with numerous other separate dwellings.
• Advised a property seller on the sale of some adjacent apartments to a US high-net-worth client for a price exceeding £110 million.
• Advised the majority of high-net-worth buyers at Heron International’s Riverwalk, Westminster project on the northern bank of the River Thames near the Houses of Parliament, with total deal values in excess of £150 million.
• Acted on the sale of luxury new-build apartments at 20 Grosvenor Square in Mayfair to high-net-worth individuals.
• Advised a high-net-worth individual on the purchase and structured financing of a social housing portfolio.
• Advised the owner of a significant property in NW3 as to GPDO rights enjoyed by their neighbour and objecting to a significant development proposal.
• Advised a US family office on the acquisition and development of a property in Kensington Palace Gardens.
• Advised the family office of an UHNW client on planning enforcement issues affecting a Grade II house in the London Borough of Camden.

With unique wealth portfolios, international properties, and numerous trusts, high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and family offices require highly specialist wealth management and tax advice. Our HNW and UHNW lawyers offer a cohesive, bespoke service across wealth management, luxury assets, financing, and investments. 

• Advising numerous ultra-high-net-worth clients from the Russia/CIS region on the creation of offshore structures involving trusts and foundations including the creation of private trust companies.
• Advised the founder shareholders of Kazakhgold on the various corporate and personal tax issues arising on the listing of the company’s shares on the main market of the London Stock Exchange.
• Acted for the Italian borrower in finance under the Maltese Leasing Scheme of a 33m sailing yacht.
• Advised the co-founder of a successful hedge fund on the entry and exit of a business and the structuring of personal wealth throughout the process.
• Acted for Bates Family Office on its UK investments.
• Acted for the seller of a 60m superyacht in relation to the loan finance, yacht management and sale.
• Created and implemented novel and unique contracts, such as a joint venture agreement for the financing, purchasing and refitting of an 80m Blohm+Voss, and a hybrid new-build/second-hand agreement for the buyer of a previously rejected 64m Benetti.

Our marine lawyers provide specialist guidance on acquisition, financing, and operation of yachts and private maritime assets. We assist high-net-worth clients and family offices with purchase agreements and registration,  insurance, and crew matters, ensuring compliance with international maritime regulation while protecting the vessel’s value and status as a lifestyle asset. 

• Represented a family office on the sale of two £35m+ luxury yachts.
• Acted for a UK specialist yacht builder in drafting and negotiating contracts for the construction of a number of one-design racing yachts including contacts with the race organiser, third party builders and suppliers, sub-contractors, and the contracts for the sale and purchase of the yachts.
• Acted for the Italian borrower in finance under the Maltese Leasing Scheme of a 33m sailing yacht.
• Acted for the seller of a 60m superyacht in relation to the loan finance, yacht management and sale.
• Created and implemented novel and unique contracts, such as a joint venture agreement for the financing, purchasing and refitting of an 80m Blohm+Voss, and a hybrid new-build/second-hand agreement for the buyer of a previously rejected 64m Benetti.
• Protected superyacht buyers’ interests – for example, developing a limited partnership structure to prevent the loss of VAT-paid status on a chartered 38m Oyster and negotiating a bespoke builder’s warranty and refit contract to dovetail with the sale of a 31m Benetti.
• Helped to develop clients’ businesses through the creation of a suite of contracts for a new superyacht management and brokerage business and drafted terms of business for key superyacht suppliers.
• Promoted crew happiness and wellbeing through the drafting and implementation of seafarer employment agreements.
• Successfully recovered damages through complex arbitrations, having obtained financial security in a variety of challenging jurisdictions.