Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning

Baker Stirling's wills, trusts and estate planning team provides a personal and professional service to help you plan for the future whilst safeguarding your financial security.

Using tools such as wills and trusts, we will help you preserve and protect your interests and your legacy. We will ensure that you receive the best advice to enable you to exercise as much choice and control as possible over your financial affairs, as your wealth is transferred from one generation to the next. We advise on tax-efficient structures for lifetime giving and on the holding of assets through the use of trusts and other asset protection structures.

Wills and trusts are a key aspect of succession planning, and we are able to advise on the appropriate type of will and/or trust to suit your needs. A will is a legal document containing your instructions and wishes concerning how your property and possessions are to be distributed after your death. It is the best way to ensure that the people you want to inherit your money, property and possessions actually do, and it makes sorting out your affairs easier for your family. If you die without making a will then you are said to die "intestate", and it is left to the law to determine who will administer your estate and who inherits what. The consequences of this may be contrary to your wishes.

In order to protect yourself and your loved ones, it is important to regularly review and update your will and your estate plan. Not only does the law change, but so does your financial situation and your family structure. Baker Stirling has extensive experience in advising on wills, trusts and estate planning to ensure that you can minimise the amount of taxes due on your estate, both during your lifetime and after you die. We act as professional trustees and executors for many of our clients, working closely with other professional trustees and family members as appropriate.

Our clients include both UK resident and non-UK resident and domiciled high net worth individuals, families and trusts. Many of our clients are landowners and business owners. We advise on how best to deal with assets in the UK and worldwide, and where necessary we are able draw on our extensive network of associates in other jurisdictions to help achieve the best advice and outcomes for our clients.