Private Clients

The team has long experience in advising family businesses on commercial, property and tax matters. In many cases we accompany private clients over years and understand the sensitivities surrounding their business as well as the interplay between the estate, the business and the existing wealth management structures of the family. Since not only family interests need to be considered but also the interests of your company and its employees, we always look for the best solution in each individual case.

A private foundation can be used to protect assets for the future, avoid splitting up family wealth, support family members, and for charitable donations. We help in drafting foundation deeds and setting up internal governance structures which best suit your goals, give clear guidelines and less room for disputes. Often a private foundation is the (principal) shareholder of a family run company, and here our corporate specialists can step in and offer advice on all relevant fields of corporate law and asset management.

We structure private assets to best preserve your wealth now and for future generations; whether through domestic or international asset holding structures, foundations, trusts or funds. We advise on life-time wealth transfers, inheritance after death as well as on generation skipping plans. We work closely together with international experts and offshore lawyers. Our aim is to find the best succession planning strategies and solutions for the disposal of wealth and minimisation of taxes, and to put in place suitable governance arrangements to help avoid family disputes.

Buying, selling and managing luxury real estate, whether as a personal residence or an investment, has to be considered carefully. Some of our clients own properties valued at several hundred million Euros, and some even several billion Euros. Our real estate specialists advise you on financing, purchasing and selling property and real estate portfolios. We know the right people in the field to find or market these. We also assist in real estate management; from the conclusion and termination of rental agreements to the preparation of the necessary paperwork and communicating with local authorities.

The focus of effective tax planning lies on the improvement of the individual tax situation and the protection of wealth from taxation risks. We offer you advice in all aspects of personal taxation in a national and international context, including on income tax, capital gains tax, real estate transfer tax, foundation taxation, gift and inheritance tax and advice on the use of double tax treaties. We can also assist you with the international tax planning of high-value assets such as villas, boats and planes. The team has extensive experience in fiscal criminal law and can advise you on the filing of voluntary self-disclosures in connection with unreported bank assets.

We offer high-net-worth individuals comprehensive support in family matters. Our private client team can advise you on divorce, relationship breakdown and child custody and has particular experience in marriages involving business or international issues. In cases where your spouse is a multinational and/or assets are situated abroad we draft marriage contracts which provide legal certainty for all relevant jurisdictions.

For wealthy individuals and families, contributions to good causes can be the culmination of your life’s work. Philanthropic aims and activities can also become the uniting focus of your family. There are many different ways to support a worthwhile cause; from supporting an existing charity to establishing a new charitable foundation to achieve a very specific philanthropic aspiration. We advise you on all aspects of charity law, the establishment and administration of charitable foundations, non-profit organisations, charitable organisations and the related tax optimisation.

As professional life today frequently requires spatial flexibility, (permanent or temporary) cross-border relocations and dual residences are not unusual. The residency of an individual, and also of trusts and companies, is a key element in effective succession planning and tax planning. Our private client team can assist you in all residence und relocation aspects including help with your work and residence permits, as well as with naturalisation, immigration and citizenship matters.

When they occur, disputes between shareholders of family-controlled businesses are invariably complex and often painful for all involved. Particularly sensitive are disputes between heirs or between heirs and those entitled to statutory portions of an inheritance, between beneficiaries and the board of directors of a private foundation, and of course between partners in the course of divorce proceedings. Wherever possible we try to diffuse a conflict at an early stage. Where no internal resolution is possible, we aim to achieve the best possible outcome in any court proceedings.