Suzanne Johnston > Stephenson Harwood LLP > Singapore, Singapore > Lawyer Profile
Stephenson Harwood LLP Offices
8 Marina Boulevard #29-01
Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 1
Singapore 018981
Singapore
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Suzanne Johnston
Work Department
Private wealth, trust and UK tax
Position
Suzanne is a private wealth, trust and UK tax lawyer based in Stephenson Harwood’s Singapore office. She has extensive experience in complex cross-jurisdictional trust and estate planning.
Career
Suzanne has practiced in Singapore since 2013 working for an international law firm and subsequently, a leading private bank advising both its trust company and wealth planners. She has advised many high-profile families and entrepreneurs throughout Southeast Asia. Suzanne enjoys helping families implement practical and effective succession planning structures harnessing the use of family offices and trust structures.
Suzanne is qualified in England & Wales and practiced law in London, training and qualifying at a magic circle law firm before relocating to Singapore.
She advises high-net worth individuals, trust companies, family offices, international banks and fiduciary service providers.
In advising high-net worth individuals, she understands the importance of family dynamics and the complexities that can arise from family members residing in multiple jurisdictions. She takes a holistic approach to planning for individuals assisting with the set up of family offices, family constitutions, trust structures, wills, lasting powers of attorney and private trust companies. Suzanne has also acted on cross-jurisdictional probates in Southeast Asia and provides UK personal tax advice.
Her experience at an international private bank has taught her the value of practical, concise and business-oriented advice when acting for institutional clients. She can readily identify the key business drivers and risk considerations in taking instructions. She advises on a wide range of matters for institutional clients, including, pre/post IPO trusts, trustee duties, template trust and contractual documents, employee benefit trusts, life insurance products, regulatory and legal compliance.
Lawyer Rankings
Singapore > Private wealth and family law – Foreign firms
Stephenson Harwood LLP has entered the Singapore private wealth arena with considerable success thanks to the efforts of Suzanne Johnston, who has previous experience of working for a magic circle law firm and a private bank. Her Singapore team now works closely with colleagues in Hong Kong, mainland China, Dubai, and London, with a focus on trusts, estates, family offices, multi-jurisdictional tax, and compliance issues. It frequently advises high-net-worth clients on their relocation to the UK and relevant structures for holding wealth and assets. The firm is also building its presence in crypto and digital assets, as well as ESG matters. Along with a range of high-net-worth individuals, the team also has numerous institutional clients, including trustees and insurance brokers. Yi Lee provides further senior expertise at the managing associate level.