Trust Advisory Services

Trusts have been widely used as vehicles for tax and succession planning worldwide, protecting family wealth through the generations. We specialize in international tax and estate planning for high-net-worth individuals and their families. We provide strategic planning and advice on trusts and corporate holding structures with the aim of protecting clients’ wealth from claims by creditors, disinherited heirs, divorced spouses and risks associated with political instability. Appropriate structures can ensure that the assets are held in the most tax efficient manner and smooth succession of family wealth and businesses in accordance with clients’ wishes.

Through working closely with tax and trust experts in different jurisdictions, we provide comprehensive and seamless service to our clients.

We advise ultra high-net-worth families in drafting of family constitution and establishment of family office. Recent high profile cases of family disputes demonstrated the importance of having well defined family governance principles agreed by all stakeholders in the family. Our team of professionals assist our clients and their families to discuss and reach consensus on the guiding principles for the family and family business.

We provide practical and professional advice to professional trustees on a broad range of issues including drafting of template trust deeds and trust administration documents.

Our areas of expertise include:

• Designing and implementing complex corporate and trust holding structures
• Advice on Hong Kong tax issues and coordinate the provision of multi-jurisdictional tax and succession law advice
• Drafting standard form trust deed and trust administration documentation for professional trustees
• Provision of fiduciary risk management advice to professional trustees
• Establishment of charitable trusts and charitable corporations
• Advice on trust and corporate re-organization
• Contentious trust advice on beneficiaries’ dispute and challenges on trusts
• Drafting Family Constitution
• Setting up Employee Share Award Trust and drafting of Scheme Rules.

Will, Probate and Estate Administration
A properly drafted personal will is an integral part of overall succession planning for clients. We advise clients in drafting Hong Kong wills and specific wills to deal with personal assets located in foreign jurisdictions. Where a deceased estate holds assets in multiple jurisdictions, we co-ordinate with legal advisors of the relevant jurisdictions to assist the executor or administrator of the estate to obtain grant of probate and letters of administration. We also advise executors, administrators and beneficiaries on all aspects of estate administration.

With increased life expectancy, an Enduring Powers of Attorney (“EPA”) ensures that even if one is mentally incapacitated, assets are not frozen and can be used for maintenance and health care. Without an EPA, a Committee will need to be set up by the Court before assets may be used.

Our services include:

• Will drafting
• Applying for probate and letters of administration
• Resealing of foreign grants
• Estate administration and distribution
• Advice on succession and trust law advice
• Enduring Powers of Attorney
• Court applications for Committee of mentally incapacitated patients

Divorce and Family Law
We offer a comprehensive range of service on:

• Divorce proceedings
• Custody, Access and Re-location,
• Ancillary relief claims
• Prenuptial, postnuptial and separation agreements
• Guardianship issues and Parenting co-ordination

As divorce proceedings often results in attacks on family trusts set up by one of the spouses or the spouse’s family, our expertise in both divorce and trust issues enable us to provide quality professional and pragmatic advice to our clients in such situation.

Notarisation and China Attesting Services |

We provide notarisation services by notaries public for use overseas, including notarization of signatures, identification documents and other legal documents, issue of notarial certificates, witnessing of powers of attorney, etc.. We also provide China Attesting Services for attestation services of legal documents by China-appointed attesting officers for use in Mainland China.