Charles Russell Speechlys LLP

Private Wealth, Charities & Not-for-Profit

James provides advice to UK domiciled and non-UK domiciled individuals on UK taxation, trust, personal estate and succession planning matters. James takes a particular interest helping individuals and families with passing valuable assets and interests to younger generations. This includes advising upon and implementing lifetime and post-death tax planning, will and trust drafting and advising on and preparing Lasting Powers of Attorney.

As a former corporate lawyer, James takes a special interest in assisting entrepreneurs, business owners and the owners of rural estates and helping clients to fulfil their philanthropic ambitions.

James is admitted to practise in England and Wales. 

• Assisting a UHNW individual with the establishment of a “family investment company” to hold and control over £100m of family wealth
• Helping the sole owner of an international business (in conjunction with the firm’s corporate department) to effect a tax efficient sale of the business
• Advising the trustees (and the high profile principal beneficiary) of a UK-resident trust as to their duties in relation to certain paintings qualifying for the conditional exemption from inheritance tax
• Helping the trustees of a charity trust to negotiate successfully the terms of a release which concluded a ten-year dispute with another charity and the Charity Commission
• Advising an UHNW family and their family office in relation to their estate planning (taking account of, among other things, tax exempt assets (e.g. business interests, rural estates, heritage assets), non UK assets, trust interests and family succession issues