Irwin Mitchell

Irwin Mitchell

irwinmitchell.com
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Global

Gatwick Private Client

Rose Macfarlane

Rose Macfarlane

Legal 500 Rising Star and Senior Associate Solicitor, Rose joined IM in January 2020 from another Tier 1 private client in the South East, to assist in the leadership and growth of Irwin Mitchell’s Gatwick private client team. The team has doubled in size since.   Rose enjoys advising a wide range of clients, often business owners and entrepreneurs and those with complex assets, some with international elements. She advises on all aspects of asset protection, succession and tax planning using Wills, lifetime giving, trusts, and enjoys working with clients’ professional advisers and corporate and tax colleagues to achieve holistic planning aims.   Rose has a strong reputation as a trust specialist amongst her colleagues, peers and referrers, acting as or advising trustees of dynastic family trusts, as well as trusts for business assets. She is a general legal resource for her family office clients, and is honoured to be personally appointed to the trusted roles of executor, trustee and attorney for clients.   Law is Rose’s second career, her first being in film, music video and commercials production. She particularly appreciates working with junior lawyers, encouraging and supporting their growth and development.
Sophie Evans

Sophie Evans

I am an associate solicitor based in Gatwick specialising in all work involved with Private Client. Working closely with individuals and families to advise and in all aspects of Private Client, from cradle to grave and beyond.  Creating wills which consider mitigation of Inheritance Tax and planning for younger, perhaps vulnerable beneficiaries, whilst giving consideration and protection for possible more complex family dynamics, be that with pending divorce or disputes.  Lifetime planning is critical to ensure putting in place structures to ensure maximisation of asset protection. I have specialist experience in advising the Elderly and Vulnerable and Later Life issues and planning, in relation to Lasting Powers of Attorney and registration of Enduring Powers of Attorney, as well as Court of Protection work including Deputyship and Statutory Will applications. Being fully bilingual in French and English comes in very useful not just for my own clients, but helping colleagues too.

Deals

  • Advised funeral plan policy trustees on steps needed, including the creation of new trusts, to achieve compliance of trust deeds and fund management in line with new FCA regulations, whose aims were to ensure this previously unregulated market is exercising suitable financial markets standards in engaging with clients and handling client funds.
  • Advising family rural business and individual farmers on minimising their corporate and personal exposure to inheritance tax. Mitigating tax liabilities through company restructuring, updates to business plans, improved Will structures aligned with corporate documentation, and careful consideration of protective trust and corporate structure for the next generation.
  • Advising husband with significant wealth in long term second marriage to wife with very limited wealth, where his intention was to pass all wealth on his earlier death to his own children. Advising in detail on the susceptibility of his estate to potential claims and assisting him in reframing his testamentary wishes to provide appropriately for his wife, and assisting in managing expectations of his children to limit potential for dispute on his anticipated death.

Team Services

Our teams in the region house bespoke private client solicitors, advising mostly high and ultra-high-net worth UK resident/domiciled clients (often with international assets) on their estate and tax planning, trusts, wills, business/rural/agricultural asset arrangements and succession.  We particularly support our London colleagues who refer HNW UK res/dom clients for estate planning advice, bringing levels of complexity to our work for which we are well equipped.

We call on colleagues across offices nationally, and all areas of expertise, to deliver an enhanced client experience: trust and tax compliance, international tax, wills, trusts and estates disputes, attorney/deputy administration, property matters, and link with our colleagues in our business legal services to address all client needs. This innovative client-focused audience sector approach allows us to better understand our clients and meet their current (and future) needs accordingly, rather than seeking to serve them one service‑line at a time.

Our work demonstrates our stand out offering in:

  • Thorough estate, trust, and intergenerational planning for our whole client base, focusing on clients in business wealth, rural business and privately wealthy sectors;
  • Creating and advising upon trusts;
  • Advising on niche area of non-contentious trust litigation on matters ‘momentous to the trust’
  • Trust Administration and Compliance, including our unrivalled Death Benefit Trust Administration and recently expanded Trust Registration services;
  • Probate and estate administration, including highly complex business and rural business assets, property aspects, and international elements and we are also often nominated by the Law Society and STEP to act as independent administrator in complex contested estate administration cases;
  • Financial administration for individuals who have lost capacity and Court of Protection work, especially statutory Will applications.

Awards and Recognition

Legal 500

We are a Legal 500 Tier 1 Team, with recognised individuals. Caroline Shelton is a Leading Individual and Rose Macfarlane has been noted as a Rising Star.

Chambers High Net Worth

Chambers HNW Band 1 Team with 3 recognised individuals