Key Takeaways From The 2026 Private Wealth Summit

On September 15, 2026, McCarthy Tétrault hosted its Private Wealth Summit, bringing together practitioners from the firm's charities, tax, estates and trusts, and litigation groups to discuss the pressures facing high net worth families, family offices, private foundations and closely held enterprises.

The sessions covered foundation governance, recent tax developments, succession planning and disputes arising from poorly managed transitions. Across these discussions, a common theme emerged: structures often fail not because the documents are inherently deficient, but because authority is unclear, expectations are misaligned, and information does not reach those who bear the economic consequences of decisions.