legal

The law affects every aspect of our personal and business lives. We integrate our legal services with our tax planning, accounting and financial advice to provide a comprehensive service for families, businesses and companies. The team are

Solicitor, Liz Hooley,
Practice Manager, Cherryl Simpson, - employment law and HR issues.

We happily refer specialist legal work to other firms were appropriate but many clients benefit from the day-to-day integrated approach.

  • Legal work closely integrated with our tax planning and accountancy on purchase or sale of a business. Highly cost effective service especially important on lower value transactions.

  • practical legal service where agreements are written in plain, straightforward English

  • tax and financial advisors dealing directly with the solicitor handling the probate after death as they did with tax returns in the client's lifetime.

current issues

Non-UK residents are increasingly using UK companies to operate their businesses as the set up of companies in other countries is often more complicated. However care is needed to ensure that the company is UK resident to get the tax treatment required.

Companies operating as a partner in a partnership, especially an LLP, have seen an increase in popularity because of the tax advantages. For sometime we have recognised and promoted the use of corporate partners particularly within LLPs for tax planning purposes.

There is a consensus that with the UK economy making a recovery this year, there will be an increase in businesses looking to make acquisitions cost effectively to develop their businesses. We have advised a number of clients in this area.

Mediation is a valuable tool if you are involved in a family dispute which involves your business. Mediation avoids the hassle and expense of formal legal action. We have experience in broking deals to help resolve apparently insurmountable problems.

businesses

Appropriate business entity - We look to assess all relevant factors when considering what type of legal entity should be used by our clients to operate their businesses. We can incorporate companies and LLPs, register partnerships and sole trades and even help with the set up of overseas companies.

Legal Agreements - We have experience in drafting a range of commercial agreements and contracts including terms and conditions of business, service contracts, shareholders agreements, partnership agreements and agreements to evidence the sale and purchase transfer of a business.

international

- Sale of business to an overseas buyer
- Setting up a business abroad
- Overseas tax regulations
- Employing foreign workers
- French inheritance law

individuals

Tax Planning - We offer a comprehensive tax advisory service for individual clients and have expertise in inheritance tax, captial gains tax and income tax planning.

Wills – We aim to write your Will to ensure that your estate passes to the people you want it to go to and in a way which minimises the inheritance tax that will be payable.

Probate - We can assist you to obtain probate for an estate and have particular expertise with estates that include foreign assets or where the deceased died domiciled abroad.

Trusts – Trusts are an integral part of tax planning. We can draft documentation to establish all types of trusts. We have links with firms which can provide off-shore trust arrangements.

Lasting Powers of Attorney – We can prepare these in the prescribed form and advise you on how these powers are registered. We can also advise on Enduring Powers of Attorney established before 2007.

Asset Protection - We can advise you as to what measures can be taken to protect your assets from care home fees.