1. What is your role at Brodies and how do you support private wealth clients?
As a partner in our Personal and Family practice are, my role is to advise and support private wealth clients with their estate and succession planning needs. I have a particular focus on advising clients with connections to multiple jurisdictions and I work with advisors across the globe to provide tailored solutions that align with the unique objectives and circumstances of each client. I have a personal connection to France, and I am a fluent French speaker. While I have a passion for cross border work more generally, I especially enjoy putting my language skills to good use and working with those clients connected to France. I work with a fantastic team of colleagues to help clients navigate complex issues and ensure that clients’ assets are protected, and their legacy is preserved for future generations.
2. If you could change one aspect of the law, what would you change?
In the field of cross border estate and succession planning, I would improve channels of communication between advisors in different jurisdictions. Problems arise when advice is given in silos without regard for the client’s wider circumstances. Working together with local advisors in the jurisdictions concerned is a crucial to ensure that advice delivered is holistic and considers the different estate planning and succession rules involved as well as the tax regimes at play.
3. What key advice would you give to professionals advising on private wealth and estate planning?
My key advice for professionals in the field of private wealth planning is to adopt a holistic and client-centric approach. Understanding the client's goals, values, and family dynamics is crucial in crafting effective strategies. Building strong, trusted relationships with clients can lead to better outcomes. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, collaboration, especially in the field of cross border estate and succession planning, is essential. Working closely with other advisors in the jurisdictions concerned ensures a comprehensive and cohesive plan that achieves the clients’ objectives.
4. What are current trends or challenges in private wealth law that are keeping you busy at the moment?
The landscape of private wealth law is continually evolving and it's important for us to stay abreast of the latest legal developments. The government’s October 2024 budget introduced the most significant changes to UK inheritance tax in a generation and this will have a considerable impact on the advice we provide to clients. For those clients with international connections, the concept of domicile as a connecting factor for inheritance tax purposes has been abolished and replaced with a test based largely on residence. This means that we, as advisors, will have to conduct a different analysis of our clients’ circumstances to understand the way in which UK inheritance tax will affect them and their families.
5. How do you spend your time outside the office?
I have two wee boys that keep me extremely busy outside of work and my weekends are spent building Lego, collecting Pokémon cards and playing outdoors. When I do have a quiet moment, I am a keen (and very amateur) artist, and I enjoy combining this with a love of fashion and clothing design to create my own fashion illustrations, drawing inspiration from events like Paris Fashion Week and the Met Gala.
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