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UK Private Client Law

​Private client lawyers work with individuals and families, providing legal advice on a variety of matters such as investments, taxation, estate management, wills and testamentary issues. Private clients are usually very rich and high net worth individuals or landowners who hold massive amounts of properties and other assets. Private client lawyers also tend to deal with charities too. These might be small, not-for-profit associations or fully-fledged organisations that are run like a business and have immense budgets.

The main objective of a private client lawyer is to provide advice which will help preserve, build and maintain wealth and establish trusts. They will also offer prudent guidance on matters, such as inheritance tax and capital gains tax.

Why is it important? What does it involve?

The workload of a typical private client lawyer might be comprised of drafting wills, executing the terms of the will in the instance of death, and the subsequent disbursement of properties and assets. You will also help clients to look after and grow their wealth, locally or internationally. As such, private client lawyers will also be required to apply tax law in many cases. Most firms will have separate departments where private client and charity work is handled.

Private client lawyers working for charitable bodies will provide legal services for registration, restructuring, creating charters or trust deeds, compliance with statutory and local authorities and regular management and disbursement of funds, which have been received or earned for charitable endeavours. Other activities will include providing investment advice, helping to set up offshore trusts, drafting contracts and business proposals and handling sponsorships.

Private client practice is an ever-burgeoning field. Immense advances in several emerging markets have created a fresh breed of millionaires and billionaires across the globe. Consequently, lawyers in this area have their hands full with plenty of work, and there’s more to come in the future. There is also an increasing demand for lawyers specialising in private client and charity practice.

Break it down for me a little bit!

Private client lawyers must have excellent people management skills. They will need to handle communications, discussions and negotiations articulately and efficiently. A comprehensive knowledge of the law and commercial matters when dealing with taxation, inheritance, investments and trusts is essential.

They must have a particular aptitude for wading through tons of rules and regulations and be able to structure matters in a manner that is most beneficial to their client; saving on costs, whilst still being compliant with the law.

It’s advantageous for private client lawyers to have a good understanding of the foreign markets where clients hold their assets and funds. They may also need to interact and coordinate with people abroad and deal with organisations that operate offshore or in overseas tax havens.

These careers could involve some degree of international travel. However, there will also be long hours and, as always, an ungodly amount of documentation to get through.

​Leasingham is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated less than 2 miles (3 km) north from Sleaford, and just off the A15. The hamlet of Roxholm lies to the north. When combined with Rauceby figures, there are a total of 916 households as of 2011.[1] The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,584.[2]

The B1209 passes through the village to join the A153 further east, passing across Leasingham Moor. Close by to the west is RAF Cranwell. The A15 used to run through the village on Captain's Hill until the 1950s.

Captain's Hill takes its name from the local landowner, Captain Richard Wharton-Myddleton, who had been an ensign at the battle of Waterloo. He lived in Leasingham Hall (built about 1836) now a Grade II listed house.[3] On 4 January 2022, this hall had a renovation to transform it into 6 flats, however work could not begin initially due to safety concerns over tree preservation.[4]

Captain's Hill, Leasingham, with St Andrew's church

Other buildings in the village include the church of St Andrews, a Wesleyan chapel, manor house, village hall and a row of alms houses. The local school is St Andrew's C.E. Primary School, which partners with Carre's Grammar School using its Outreach programme.[5] The playing fields include a bowls club and cricket pitch.

Amenities include the Duke of Wellington public house, Busy Bees Preschool, a post office shop, corner shop, farm shop, and two hairdressers.

A local bus service runs every hour to Sleaford, with links to Lincoln, Grantham, Nottingham and Skegness.[6]

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