Private Client
For the complete care and protection of families and their assets, DMH Stallard’s private client solicitors supports clients with sensitivity and expertise. Our team of specialist lawyers have the experience to guide you at every turn: from making a Will to handling the affairs of a loved one who has passed away; ensuring the welfare of elderly or vulnerable relatives, to providing for effective tax and succession planning for a individuals, families, charities or a family business.
Our focus is you
Delivering the best legal advice for you and your family is about understanding your needs. We deliver a partner-led service and work to find practical solutions that meet your needs – from estate planning and wealth management to probate and inheritance matters our experienced solicitors navigate the complexities of the legal landscape with diligence and attention to detail.
Our private client solicitors have established base offices in London and across the South East including Gatwick and Crawley, Hassocks, Horsham, Brighton and Guildford.
Please note that visits to our office is by appointment only. If you wish to contact one of our private client solicitors you can do via our online enquiry form or call on +44 (0)3333 231 580.
Our services
The complexity of estate administration and gaining probate varies according to the nature and type of the assets involved and the terms of the will. We are used to dealing with a range of estates and so can provide the help you need, doing as much or as little as you require.
If you have been appointed as the executor of a will you will need to finalise the financial affairs of the deceased and distribute what is left according to the instructions in the will. Our private client solicitors can help with applying for probate, valuing the estate, collecting the assets, paying the tax, filling out inheritance tax returns, selling any property, managing any trusts and distributing the funds.
Estate Planning
Careful tax and financial planning is an essential part of any effective wealth management and estate planning strategy. By taking the right steps to manage your assets you can make sure that the right people benefit. We can help structure your financial affairs and assets in the most efficient way possible – including property, land, investments, business and overseas interests.
Our estate planning specialists can help to make your assets work for you and protect them for your beneficiaries with tax planning measures that can be put in place during your lifetime, and through your will.
Wills
Effective planning starts with identifying your assets, being clear about how you would like these divided, taking full account of every scenario and then writing a will that fully reflects your wishes. We can help you write a will that ensures that those you choose get the full benefit of their inheritance, as well as minimising the chance of any disputes after your death. Our expert lawyers can help you structure your estate in the best way possible to protect your wealth and provide for your dependants in the future.
Trusts
As part of the wealth management process, it may be appropriate to set up a trust, for instance, to ensure that a particular child or relative is provided for. A trust is a legal arrangement established so that named persons – ‘trustees’ – can look after and deal with assets for the benefit of named beneficiaries. Our lawyers can help you set up a trust to ensure that your assets are protected and your family looked after should anything happen to you.
Our trust advisory services include how best to make use of any existing family trusts, establishing new ones, charitable trusts, managing trusts and winding up when appropriate. We also deal with Discretionary Trusts and Disabled Person’s Trusts to help parents plan for their disabled child’s future. We work with clients over the long-term and encourage regular reviews, particularly if there are any changes in personal or financial circumstances – such as marriage, divorce, children or the sale of a family business.
Where you have a family trust of any kind, we offer an efficient cost effective trust administration service to help you with trust accounts and annual tax returns. Our private client solicitors can advise on all aspects of trust administration and if you choose we can take the burden of this away from you or support you to make effective decisions.
None of us likes to think of a time when we will be unable to make our own decisions regarding our own medical treatment or finances. However, this is a growing issue and increasing use is being made of lasting powers of attorney. There are two different powers of attorney, one that allows for financial decisions to be made and the other for health and care decisions to be made on your behalf. Our private client solicitors can advise on the benefits and options available. We can provide invaluable advice in terms of who to appoint as your attorneys, how to appoint them and what conditions or guidance to include. Such powers of attorney can also be important in the context of family or owner managed businesses, where severe disruption can be caused if key decision-makers are suddenly incapacitated.
There is an inevitable overlap between personal and business matters when there is a family business to consider and this can bring the potential for conflict. With significant expertise in both personal and corporate legal issues, we are ideally placed to advise on succession planning and how to protect the future of the family business.
Our private client solicitors never underestimate the privilege and responsibility that comes with advising our older and more vulnerable clients. We have developed a highly regarded legal practice focused on the needs of our elderly and vulnerable clients. We provide bespoke support and guidance for individuals, their attorneys and deputies, families and carers.
Alternatively, you or your family might need urgent legal advice because of sudden illness or injury. In either situation our lawyers adapt to your differing needs and priorities in a flexible and pragmatic way.
Where no Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is in place and someone loses their capacity to manage their own affairs (financial or otherwise) the Court of Protection can appoint a Deputy. The application process is detailed and involves sensitive decisions; our team can assist and will listen to any particular issues for each client and their situation.
As well as assisting others to apply on behalf of their own family members, we have experience of acting as a Deputy. We currently act as the Deputy managing the financial affairs for clients with vulnerabilities whether through mental health, brain injury from an accident or clinical negligence or old age. We ensure there is full compliance with the Court of Protection’s strict safeguards and reporting requirements. Our private client solicitors also have experience of making specific applications to the Court of Protection where required, for example, where a property needs to be sold or there is a concern about a current Attorney or Deputy.
Our experts have experience advising regional, national and international charities. We always work to understand the main objectives of the charity and ensure our advice is tailored to the needs of the organisation.
We regularly work with trustees and senior board members to provide on hand support and advice, allowing you to focus on growing the charity and achieving your goals.
Our charity solicitors have experience dealing with the regulatory and governance issues, and advise clients on the registration of new charities (including charitable trusts), CIOs and charitable companies.
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Recent work
Sectors
Charitable Giving
Lifetime planning to reduce IHT liability
We reduced our client’s estimated IHT liability through lifetime planning. Client had wealth of in access of £3million. We also advised the client on charitable gifting and the reduction in IHT rate with a 10% gift to charity and are advising on lifetime gifting to further reduce estimated IHT liability.
Charitable Trusts
Restructuring Trust to Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
We successfully formed and registered a Charitable Trust appointing two partners of DMH Stallard named as Trustees under Will of the deceased. With a portfolio of over 50 properties, we agreed that restructuring the Trust to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) would be the best option. We advised client on the submission to the Charity Commission to accept the change of status of the Charity to be compliant with their rigorous eligibility process and reasons for the change of status.
Creating a lasting charitable legacy
Lasting Charitable Legacy
Our client was a high net worth individual who wished to leave a lasting charitable legacy on her death. Our work involved drafting the Will for the deceased which included a Discretionary Trust and bespoke beneficiary provisions ensuring a philanthropic yet flexible position; and post death, advising the executors as to the types of charitable structure which can be created and establishing a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). We continue to support the Trustees and Chair in the day-to-day administration of the CIO, drafting bespoke policies for the CIO; grant-making policy, a risk management policy and sub committee terms of reference.
Advice on mitigation of inheritance tax
We provided technical advice to clients with several million in assets and a substantial annual income. We advised on ways to substantially mitigate a potential inheritance tax liability of close to £1million. Steps we advised our clients to take included giving substantial gifts to family members on a regular basis to avoid the accumulation of surplus income in their estates and to insert specific provisions in each will to reduce exposure to inheritance tax.
Acting as Deputy for an individual with dementia
DMH Stallard were asked to manage the affairs of someone with dementia who had lost their mental capacity, were unable to manage their affairs and continue to live independently. DMH Stallard Trust Corporation applied to the Court of Protection to be appointed as their Deputies. There was no extended family or close friends. We found a suitable residential care home for them that specialised in dementia care and sold their property, taking financial advice to ensure there were sufficient funds to cover their care home fees and general living expenses.
Wills and Estate Planning advice
We provided estate planning advice to a married couple aimed at maximising allowances available to their estates. Specifically in this case we arranged for the wife to gift her residence nil rate band (RNRB) to the children in an attempt to bank relief because she had assets of a lower value than her husband. We maximised asset protection by incorporating a flexible life interest trust (FLIT).
Administration of a high net worth estate.
Historically the deceased, used big name City law firms for some of his personal work. However, he chose to instruct DMH Stallard to draft his will and the executor has chosen to use us to administer the multi-million pound estate because of our local knowledge. The breadth and depth of experience means we can deal sensitively with many of the internationally high-profile people who benefit under the will, or who are involved in the deceased’s estate.
Advice on post-death variations of will and tax relief
DMH Stallard advised the executors of an estate where the deceased had assets held within a company registered at Lloyds. DMH Stallard successfully claimed Business Relief over various assets within the estate. We also advised the executors on a deed of variation which was successful in securing a reduction in the inheritance tax payable,
Lasting Power of Attorney
We often prepare Lasting Powers of Attorney as part of our overarching private client service, encompassing advice on wills, trusts, inheritance tax planning and succession planning. It’s an area of our practice that demonstrates the way we link various specialisms across the firm to enhance the service we deliver to clients.
Power of Attorney Advice
We provided advice and support to a lady in her 90s with frailty and early stage dementia. The PoA ensured that when her dementia progressed to the stage she could no longer make decisions for herself that one of her daughters would make all decisions in relation to her financial affairs and health and welfare. This was an important document that provided peace of mind and enabled the family to chose the care she received.
News and insights
Insights
An overview of the environmental regulator’s approach to the enforcement and prosecution of environmental offences which outlines the potential penalties and other implications for a businesses who breaches environmental legislation
25/02/2015
