General counsel and trusts advice for family offices, from London to Monaco
For principals, family offices and their advisers with wealth, businesses and family spread across the UK and Europe.
I am a solicitor and Trust and Estate Practitioner, and have been Chief Legal Officer to three single family offices, one in England and two in Monaco. You deal with me directly, from first call to final advice.
Three areas, one lawyer
Family office general counsel
Part-time or project-based general counsel for family offices that do not need, or do not yet have, a full-time in-house lawyer.
- Legal oversight and a first point of call
- External counsel and legal spend
- Structures, governance and compliance
Trusts, succession & governance
Setting up and reviewing trusts and foundations, planning succession, and advising trustees and protectors on running them well.
- Trust and foundation structuring
- Succession and business transfer
- Trustee and protector governance
Cross-border families & business owners
English law advice for families and business owners in the UK with interests abroad, or abroad with interests in the UK, and one point of contact across countries.
- UK clients with assets or family abroad
- Clients in Monaco and France with UK interests
- Relocation between the UK and Europe
Clear terms from the start
Family office legal review
A review of your office’s structures, key contracts, governance and use of external counsel, ending in a written list of priorities.
Ongoing general counsel support
An agreed number of days each month for a fixed monthly fee, so you have a senior lawyer on call without a full-time hire.
A single question or project
Advice on one matter, such as a trust review or a transaction, on a fixed fee or an estimate agreed before work starts.
Fees are agreed before any work starts. See my policies for terms of business.
Both sides of the desk
As Chief Legal Officer to three single family offices, I have instructed and managed external counsel, not just acted as it.
Trusts in depth
TEP since 2014, MSc in Law and Private Wealth Management, and the STEP Advanced Certificate in Trust Disputes with Distinction.
One lawyer, close to the work
I am the sole practitioner on every matter I take on. Twenty-five years across City litigation, commercial practice and family offices.
25 years of legal practice, from the City to Monaco
I began in banking and product liability litigation at Hogan Lovells, then moved into insolvency and commercial litigation in private practice. I was the sole solicitor in Sinclair Investments (UK) Ltd v Versailles Trade Finance Ltd [2011] EWCA Civ 347, a leading authority on fiduciary duties and proprietary claims.
I have since served as Chief Legal Officer to three single family offices, one in England and two in Monaco, overseeing legal budgets, external counsel, and the trust and foundation structures behind them.
More about me →- Solicitor of England & WalesQualified 2001 · regulated by the SRA · SRA ID 311605
- Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP)Full member of STEP since 2014 · STEP ID 257219
- MSc in Law and Private Wealth Management2021, with Commendation
- STEP Advanced Certificate in Trust DisputesWith Distinction
- Called to the Bar, Inner Temple1997 (non-practising)
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Discuss your matter
The first call is free and confidential. I reply within one working day.