Wiggin Osborne Fullerlove > London, England > Firm Profile

Wiggin Osborne Fullerlove
52 JERMYN STREET
LONDON
SW1Y 6LX
England

Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate Tier 1

Praised for its ability to provide ‘city quality and expertise that comfortably rivals many of its London competitors’, Wiggin Osborne Fullerlove's boutique private client offering spans asset protection, taxation, corporate and commercial disputes, and probate and estate planning. Tim Osborne and Stephen Green jointly lead the practive. Other key names to note include Matthew Cain - described as a ‘charming and smooth operator with a wealth of experience’ - who specialises in the structuring of private wealth, and Rose Chamberlayne, who specialises in creating bespoke wealth preservation structures. ‘Visionary and adaptable, bright and engaging’, Matthew Shayle has key expertise in the areas of trusts, foundations and succession.  

Practice head(s):

Tim Osborne; Stephen Green

Other key lawyers:

Matthew Shayle; Rose Chamberlayne; Matthew Cain; Paul Hunston; Stephen Pallister; Hannah Hughes; Genevieve Morrall

Testimonials

‘Its reputation in the industry is well deserved. Their old-fashioned courtesy and style disguises a highly responsive, forward-thinking, full service private client offering.’

‘Matthew Cain is a charming and smooth operator with a wealth of experience. He has all the attributes of the best traditional private client partners but couples them with technical expertise and 21st century response times. As a barrister, I greatly enjoy working with Matthew and I always know he will bring a valuable perspective to a case.’

Matthew Shayle is visionary and adaptable, bright and engaging.’

‘High quality team with a top client base. Matt is a fantastic lawyer and private client advisor, creating strong client relationships, proactive and commercial advice. He is a go to for UHNW international families for intergenerational planning.’

‘The team gives clients City quality and expertise and comfortably rivals many of its London competitors. Many team members have experience of working offshore and are very well-connected.’

‘Working most closely with Matthew Shayle and Genevieve Morrall, they are a formidable team with a wealth of experience. They easily win the trust of clients with their reassurance and understanding.’

‘A strong presence in the international space, which is very unusual for a domestic firm located outside the capital.’

‘Matthew Shayle is a charming and accomplished private client specialist whose legal analysis and thoroughness is exactly what the market requires. A pleasure to work with.’

Work highlights

With its headquarters in Cheltenham but with a London presence and an overwhelmingly London and/or internationally-based client roster, Wiggin Osborne Fullerlove has been providing specialist private client advisory services to an exceptional standard for over 45 years. It is a boutique private client law firm offering solutions tailored individually to its clients’ needs and requirements.  The firm currently comprises nine partners, all of whom have previously worked in leading London and international practices and are well known in their respective fields. Its lawyers’ expertise makes the firm a market leader in issues of all kinds affecting private clients, both in the UK and internationally.

WOF has a global reputation for excellence in advising high and ultra-high net worth individuals and their entities and private wealth institutions with both UK and international assets and interests. The firm’s experience in these areas means that its lawyers understand the importance of ensuring that clients’ assets are structured in the most appropriate manner with cross-jurisdictional issues in mind. Whether a client’s motivation is tax efficiency, asset protection, succession planning or philanthropy, WOF has a reputation for offering pragmatic solutions to reflect an ever-changing landscape.

Each partner has specialist expertise built up over many years in practice. This means that, as a firm, WOF can offer a range of services to its clients whether they are based in the UK or overseas, including: asset protection; charities and philanthropy; corporate and commercial law; disputes; family office; investments; taxation; trusts; wills, probate and estate planning.

WOF works with a strong network of fellow professionals such as accountants, property advisers, immigration specialists and fellow lawyers to ensure its clients obtain the comprehensive service they require.

The firm was founded in 1973 by a team of Magic Circle private client lawyers, as the private client firm Wiggin & Co. The founders recognised that the client service model increasingly employed by full-service firms did not offer private clients the bespoke legal service they needed. Wiggin & Co was established with the aim of delivering a personal service to private clients who valued the highest levels of quality from their lawyers.

Wiggin & Co grew an enviable list of clients, providing a wide range of private wealth legal services to clients based in the UK and internationally.

In response to its clients’ needs, Wiggin & Co developed complementary corporate, commercial and real estate law practices. Its private client team remained a core part of the business.

In 2003, Wiggin & Co’s private client team demerged from the firm, forming Wiggin Osborne Fullerlove.

True to its beginnings in 1973, WOF combines first class legal knowledge with the highest levels of client care and an appreciation of practical considerations. Today, the firm acts for high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families, as well as for trustees and trust companies, private banks, family offices, charities, insurance companies, fund management houses and other wealth management and planning institutions.

Members of the firm lecture and write articles about their individual areas of expertise.

Members of the firm sit on national bodies involved in lobbying on behalf of the private wealth industry.

Department Name Email Telephone
Senior partner Tim Osborne
Managing partner Paul Hunston
Trusts and tax Matthew Shayle
Trusts and tax Stephen Green
Trusts and tax Stephen Pallister
Trusts and tax Paul Hunston
Trusts and tax Matthew Cain
Trusts and tax Rose Chamberlayne
Media, entertainment Tim Osborne
Family Office services and structuring Matthew Shayle
Investment structuring, financial services Matthew Cain
Company, commercial Matthew Shayle
Company, commercial Paul Hunston
Charities Stephen Pallister
Corporate/business tax Paul Hunston
Asset protection Rose Chamberlayne
Asset protection Michael Cotlick
Dispute resolution Michael Cotlick
Number of UK partners : 9
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