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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.

​Syston (/ˈsaɪstən/ ⓘ SY-stən) is a town and civil parish in the district of Charnwood in Leicestershire, England. The population was 11,508 at the 2001 census, rising to 12,804 at the 2011 census.

There has been a settlement on the site for over 1,000 years, the earliest records being in theDomesday BookasSitestone. TheRoman roadknown as theFosse Waypasses through Syston, which is now largely a commuter town for the city ofLeicester. Only the village ofThurmastonto the south separates it from Leicester.

The large and impressiveChurch of St Peter and St Paulis the most ancient building in Syston, built in pink granite and white limestone with a proud west tower topped by a lozengefrieze, battlements and pinnacles.[3]The church mostly dates from the 15th century but there is a 13th-centurysediliain thechanceland a tomb recess in the south aisle of the early 14th century.[4]The stone arcading inside the nave has strikingPerpendicularGothic panelling which is also seen on the tower arch and in theclerestory. The nave roof of timber is also 15th century.[4]The local architect Frederick Webster Ordish (1821-1885) extensively restored the church in 1871-72 and in 1881 he extended the nave by one bay and rebuilt the chancel.[4]Ordish lived atQueniboroughOld Hall.[5]In 1855 he had added the upper storey, with its tower and bridge staircase, to the Corn Exchange in Leicester Market Place.[6]He died as a result of an accident near the old Syston railway station in September 1885.

TheMidland Main Lineruns through the town.Syston railway stationcurrently has one platform on what remains of the former goods line, served by localLeicestertoLincolnvia Nottingham and Newark services on theIvanhoe Line.

Motorcycle speedway(1930-1931) andgreyhound racing(1931-1960s) was staged at theSyston Sports Stadium(not to be confused with the Syston Sports Ground next door) on Mostyn Avenue.[7]

The 'Syston white plum' is well known in the Syston locality and has been grown there for well over 100 years. It is yellow, oval in shape, thin skinned and a good sized dessert plum. It normally crops in September and is emblazoned on the Syston Town welcoming signs.[8]

Syston is the location of the headquarters ofPukka Pies, which is one of the largest employers in the town, employing 250 people.[9]

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