Louise Lewis > Freeths LLP > Oxford, England > Lawyer Profile

Louise Lewis

01865 781105 louise.lewis@freeths.co.uk View profile View profile

Work Department

Family Wealth

Position

Louise is a Partner and joint head of the Oxford Trusts, Estates and Tax Team. She is a highly regarded private client lawyer who advises on a variety of matters. Louise qualified in 2005 and joined our firm from Penningtons Manches Cooper in June 2019.

Louise drafts Wills, sets up and administers trusts, administers estates and drafts and registers powers of attorney. She has expertise in the field of mental capacity and advises on disabled persons’ trusts, deputyships for children reaching adulthood and other welfare-related issues. She prepares lasting powers of attorney and Wills for clients with mental capacity issues and complex applications to the Court of Protection and High Court for mentally incapacitated people. These include applications for statutory Wills, for gifts and trusts, for removal of incapacitated trustees and for welfare decisions. Louise is the Deputy Chair of the steering committee for STEP’s mental capacity special interest group and she Chaired a session on mental capacity and welfare issues at STEP’s global congress in London in summer 2022. She regularly speaks on mental capacity topics and has presented for the Brain Injury Association and the Alzheimer’s Society among others. Louise is a Dementia Friend. In 2020, she completed an advanced STEP certificate in advising vulnerable clients, receiving a distinction.

In addition, Louise is a member of the firm’s private wealth initiative and is able to provide advice to business clients on estate planning at all stages of the business cycle.  This includes tax advice and trusts for people exiting their businesses, advice on Wills and the interaction of Wills with corporate structures, advice on suitable structures for start-up owners and new partnerships and advice on trusts to hold company shares. Louise also administers business interests following death of business owners and advises on available tax reliefs for estates.

Louise has considerable experience of working with international clients and advises on residence and domicile and cross border estate planning.

In June 2023, Louise completed an advanced STEP certificate in UK tax for international clients, receiving a distinction.

Career

2005 Blake Morgan LLP (Solicitor/Senior Solicitor), Penningtons Manches LLP (Senior Associate), Henmans LLP (Director)

Memberships

Law Society, Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts (FRSA)

Education

University of Cardiff (LLB Law 2:1), College of Law (Legal Practice Course: Merit)