Legal specialists, Foot Anstey LLP provide commercially-savvy, expert legal advice that is easily integrated and actionable in clients’ worlds.
Shaun Thomas, Managing Associate is a key part of Foot Anstey’s UK Succession and Tax team. Shaun has a specialist interest in cross-border estates and to date has worked on matters spanning across around 40 jurisdictions.
Shaun takes a transparent, process-driven approach to his work, which wins him repeat referrals and builds strong working relationships, not only with his clients but referrers alike.
Supporting High Net Worth Clients
Shaun explains: “Much of my role involves Private Client work and Estate Administration. I work with clients based in the UK and overseas, many of whom are high net worth individuals, predominantly residing in Europe and the Middle East.
“I regularly support relatives where they have lost a loved one, typically the father, and there is a need to obtain a Grant of Representation in the UK. This also involves navigating the complex IHT implications for an estate which typically containing high value properties. It is essential that we respect religious and cultural wishes and at the same time ensure clients are fully informed of their options about their potential tax exposure so they can make an informed decision that is right for them.
“At Foot Anstey LLP, we have an Islamic Finance team who specialise in Islamic Finance Law and who can advise on structures including Musharakah, Wakala, Ijarah, Murabaha and Sukuk as well as Hybrids and Funds. They have been a great source of assistance in establishing a Sharia compliant Will precedent.
“Working across multiple jurisdictions can add to the complexity of estate administration. We have language skills within our team and also work with a network of trusted associates in different countries to achieve the best outcomes for clients.
“We have worked on matters where clients have not known about (or forgotten on occasions) about accounts held in the UK. About a year ago, I worked with a family where a UK Bank would not release funds to the family without a Grant of Representation. I contacted the Bank on their behalf and we discovered £25million was held there and sat in a US dollar foreign denomination account. The family were grateful for our assistance in obtaining the Grant and enabling access to the funds (which thanks to being in a different denomination alongside non-domiciled and non-resident status, was outside the scope of IHT, saving circa. £4million in IHT.
Enhancing Asset Discovery
“We work with a company called Estatesearch to help ensure the full extent of an estate is established. Estatesearch offers a cost effective and efficient way of making enquiries of more than 150 organisations, searching over 450 companies and brands including banks, building societies, investment managers, share registrars, pension providers and insurers to help identify accounts which allows us to make further enquiries on behalf of our clients.
“Although we have not discovered accounts with significant value in the example above, using Estatesearch, the reports often flag accounts which the family is unaware of and our clients are grateful for the service. It means they can be certain everything has been discovered and reporting to HMRC can be completed correctly.
“Estatesearch has recently introduced a High Net Worth bolt on search which also covers private banks, wealth and asset management companies and the Royal Mint. It will further support our due diligence in the future when dealing with complex estates and means we can provide and even more comprehensive service resulting in better outcomes for our clients.
Additionally, the high net worth search will enhance our ability to track and identify assets that may otherwise be overlooked in cases involving substantial estates.
“We order Estatesearch’s reports through their secure online portal. This is easy to use and I am able to delegate administration of ordering to support staff if needed. The Estatesearch team have also been incredibly supportive and are always available to help if required.
“We now advise a financial asset search is completed in our confirmation of instruction letter. Take up is dependent on circumstances. Where a friend is the executor on an estate and they don’t have full knowledge or visibility of assets our clients have found this particularly helpful.”
For more information about Foot Anstey please see: https://www.footanstey.com/
Originally Published on Today’s Wills & Probate.