Fiona Poole > Maurice Turnor Gardner LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Maurice Turnor Gardner LLP
15th Floor, Milton House
Milton Street
LONDON
EC2Y 9BH
England
Fiona Poole photo

Work Department

Private Client,  Charity and Philanthropy

Position

Fiona is a partner and specialises in complex estate and succession planning for her clients’ personal and business assets in multiple jurisdictions and international trust issues for high net worth individuals. In addition to being a private client lawyer, Fiona is dual qualified as a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA).  

Fiona has an all-round private client practice enabling her to provide a full complement of professional services for her clients. As a tax specialist she an in-depth understanding of the personal tax needs of her clients, the majority of whom have an international element to their affairs, whether that be in connection with their domicile, their residence, their businesses, the diversification of their investments or the trusts of which they may be beneficiaries.

Fiona has a great deal of experience working with families with complex asset-holding structures and diverse tax profiles.  Her expertise includes succession strategies for global assets, assisting families with inter-generational discussions and the composition of family constitutions, residence and domicile issues, and estate planning for both UK and international entrepreneurs.  She also advises on the UK taxation of non-UK trusts, their settlors and beneficiaries, tax efficient structuring of UK property transactions, pre-immigration tax planning, English Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney.

Fiona advises charities and philanthropists on the establishment, regulation and operation of UK charities and the tax benefits of charitable giving.

In addition to lifetime planning Fiona advises UK and international clients on probate and the administration of estates involving UK assets and works collaboratively with foreign lawyers where non-UK assets are involved.

In 2019, Fiona was named as a member of the “Private Client Global Elite – Ones to Watch” by Legal Week. She is also listed by the 2020 Legal 500 guide as a key lawyer in the area of personal tax, trusts and probate.

Career

Fiona qualified as a solicitor in September 2005 into the private client team of Gaby Hardwicke in East Sussex, a year later she became a member of the Association of Tax Technicians and a year after that became a Chartered Tax Adviser, by which time Fiona was working in PwC’s Entrepreneurial Private Client team in London. Fiona joined Maurice Turnor Gardner LLP in August 2010 from PwC, becoming a partner in 2017.

Fiona is the current Trusts correspondent for Private Client Business magazine.

Memberships

Chartered Institute of Taxation (Member of the Education Committee)
Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners
Association of Partnership Practitioners
Charity Law Association

Lawyer Rankings

London > Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate

(Leading partners)

Fiona PooleMaurice Turnor Gardner LLP

The ‘extremely personable’ team at Maurice Turnor Gardner LLP has the ‘perfect combination of the output and expertise of a ‘Magic Circle’ law firm, but with the personality of a small boutique offering a friendly service’, say clients. Under the leadership of Fiona Poole, it has a specialist focus on complex international and cross-border estate planning and succession structuring for ultra-high-net-worth clients. The practice helps clients to protect and preserve their wealth for future generations by way of family charters and constitutions, trusts, and other international asset holding structures. Ceris Gardner and Clare Maurice are among the key contacts for clients of the firm, who include foreign royalty and English aristocracy. Other significant clients are entrepreneurs, traditionally wealthy families, trustees, and private banks. Managing partner Emma-Jane Weider and Eesha Arora are highly regarded; Arora frequently works with trustees, beneficiaries, and philanthropists on a variety of complex matters. Paul Whitehead is also vastly experienced in advising international and UK-based high-net-worth clients. Claire Weeks is another notable member of the practice.