ThoughtLeaders4 Private Client: Guernsey

Bryony is an experienced private client lawyer working with a range of clients, from individuals and families, to trustee companies and family businesses. At the core of her practice is helping clients and their families put in place the most effective strategies to manage the long term stability and integrity of their estates.

Bryony has extensive experience advising on all aspects of UK estate planning, including wills, trusts, lasting powers of attorney (LPA) and family governance issues. She regularly advises on the administration of large and complex estates and international probate, and some contentious probate and trust matters.

Siena Gold advises individuals and the family offices, trustees and financial institutions representing them on personal asset holding structures, cross-border tax, succession planning, family governance, and philanthropy.

She has considerable experience assisting internationally mobile individuals on the tax, succession and practical consequences of various personal structures, with a particular specialism in offshore trusts and the arrangements of entrepreneurs.

Siena frequently advises on pre-UK arrival planning and provides ongoing advice to non-domiciled individuals on their international arrangements.

She is also particularly interested in potentially contentious situations and tax investigations, regulatory and transparency issues.

Having recently spent four months living in Beirut learning Arabic, she also enjoys matters with a Middle Eastern connection.

Nicola Saccardo graduated from the University of Milan “Luigi Bocconi” and holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Taxation from the University of Leiden (The Netherlands). He is admitted to the Italian Bar and is also qualified as Italian chartered accountant.

He is a member of the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law, as well as its vice President for Europe and Chair of its Tax Committee. He is an international fellow of ACTEC and member of its International Estate Planning Committee. He is a member of STEP, Deputy-Chair of the International Client Global SIG Steering Committee and member of the EU Public Policy Committee.

He leads the EU tax law course at the LL.M. of the King's College in London.

He is author of many publications on Italian tax matters and is frequent speaker at conferences.

His areas of expertise include taxation of trusts, estates and HNWIs; estate planning in general; and international and EU tax law.

Claire is well known for resolving difficult personal situations for her clients, and avoiding lengthy legal battles with the inevitable emotional and financial cost. Her clients value her calm and reassuring confidence and her ability to achieve civilised outcomes wherever possible. 

Claire is a partner in the Farrer & Co Family & Divorce team.

With nearly two decades of specialist family law experience and practice, Claire relishes her diverse client base. Discretion for her clients is always absolutely key. She increasingly acts for entrepreneurs, private equity, professionals, individuals in the public eye and those with generational wealth, helping to resolve their myriad family disputes. It is rare for her cases not to have some international dimension, so collaborating with lawyers from around the world to protect her clients' interests is a daily part of her practice.  

Claire helps people who are often at a crossroads in their lives. They may be facing the end of a relationship or issues in relation to their children, for example. Or it may be the beginning of a relationship and they are thinking about the future as Claire has a notable reputation for her work on both UK and international pre and post nuptial agreements and civil partnership agreements. Whatever the issue, Claire works with her clients to agree the best way forward, focussing not just on the short term but also their long term interests.   

Claire enjoys building strong relationships with her clients and helping them through what is almost invariably an emotionally charged situation. She understands the complex dynamics that can be at play between individuals and how that needs to be factored in at every step of the way. Her client's best interests are paramount - she is a firm but fair negotiator who takes real pride in her work.

Claire's collaborative approach is also reflected in the way she draws expertise from across the firm to ensure all of her clients' needs are met. She often works closely with specialists from our reputation management, property, immigration and succession planning teams, for example.

Claire is also the Graduate Recruitment Partner for the firm, seeking out talented lawyers for the firm's future. 

Jonathan advises UK and international private clients, trustees, foundations, family offices and private banks on all aspects of tax, trust, estate and succession planning, regulatory, immigration and philanthropic issues. Jonathan also has significant experience in assisting families and trustees in resolving disputes.

Typical clients include high-net-worth entrepreneurs and their families who are non-UK resident or UK resident but non-UK domiciled, taking into account their trusts, foundations and family investment companies and partnerships, funds and other structures and financial instruments such clients use to hold their business interests or manage their wealth.

Having spent four years as an in-house counsel in Bermuda and many years as a partner at Macfarlanes, he has particular expertise in advising private banks and family offices on private client matters. He is also very experienced in complex cross-border estate planning, co-ordinating matters for clients with assets in several different legal and tax systems.

A significant number of his international clients have connections to the US and Europe, although in recent years he has spent increasing amounts of time working with families and trustees from the Middle East, South East Asia (especially India, Singapore and Malaysia) and Latin America.

He is well known throughout the industry, lectures widely in the UK and overseas, publishes journal articles on topical issues and is frequently quoted in the national and industry press.

The previous head of the multiple award-winning private client group for 12 years until May 2017, he is now focusing solely on client work.

Jonathan is a member of the firm's probate group and has many years' experience advising on all probate related matters.

Mark specialises in resolving disputes regarding trusts, estates, tax, gifts and matters relating to mental capacity, both on and off shore.

He also works with individuals, families and trustees in relation to planning needs, drawing on his experience as both a private wealth adviser and litigation lawyer.

Mark is often approached to act as litigation friend for protected parties and as replacement trustee or personal representative in removal proceedings.

Helen has an international client base– she acts for clients from offshore trust jurisdictions, Europe, the Middle East, the Far East and the US.

She advises clients on estate planning, asset protection, tax planning, changes in UK tax legislation, regulatory developments, governance issues, vehicles for wealth and business, and succession, often across several jurisdictions.

She acts for individuals, families, trustees and beneficiaries. For example she advises international families with wealth in trusts and business structures on how to deal with changing family circumstances, generational transition and governance requirements. She has also acted as trustee of various UK private trusts and advised on landed estates, heritage property and business assets.

Helen has experience of advising on the Common Reporting Standard, Persons of Significant Control, the UK trust register, beneficial property ownership, and the Requirement to Correct.

She balances structuring and planning advice with more contentious work and works closely with advisers in other jurisdictions.

Helen has been named in the 2019 eprivateclient 50 Most Influential list, Legal Week Private Client Global Elite and Citywealth’s Top 20 Lawyers initiative.

Recommended in the Ninth Edition of The Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom and the Best Lawyers Business Edition for Trusts and personal tax law in London. Helen is also recommended by Who’s Who Legal.

David joined Collas Crill's Guernsey office in early 2020 and is a partner in the International Private Client and Trusts team. David specialises in the establishment of complicated wealth planning structures, spanning multiple jurisdictions. David is qualified and regularly advises in relation to the laws of the Cayman Islands, BVI and Guernsey*. Immediately prior to joining Collas Crill's Guernsey office, David spent four years in the Zurich office of an international private client firm.

David's private client practice involves a broad range of commercial and private trust matters, including in connection with the establishment and administration of investment funds structured as unit trusts, pension trusts and employee benefit trusts. David frequently advises family offices, charitable organisations, trustees and high net worth individuals on complex trust structures for wealth and estate planning, as well as the use of private trust companies, foundations (under both Cayman and Guernsey laws) and STAR and VISTA Trusts (under Cayman and BVI laws).

Robert advises on tax, trust and estate planning for wealthy individuals, their advisers and trustees. He acts for a wide range of clients including the owners of landed estates, business people, non-domiciliaries and international families with assets in multiple jurisdictions.

Philip is responsible for a team that establishes, administers and manages a variety of offshore structures, working with clients from a wide range of jurisdictions. He also heads the firm’s Investment Review Committee, which reviews the appointment and performance of managers of quoted investment portfolios within the various fiduciary teams.

Philip sits on the board of several companies, involved in the acquisition, investment and development of both commercial and residential property interests. 

Born and educated in Guernsey, Philip has worked in the trust industry since 1994. He joined Saffery Champness in 2010, having previously worked in leading bank-owned trust companies

Dylan Samuel joined Lombard Odier in December 2016 as an Executive Vice President. Prior to joining Lombard Odier, Dylan spent 13 years at J.P.Morgan Private Bank. Dylan worked in both the Geneva and London offices for J.P.Morgan and in his last role headed a team of five relationship managers focusing on Entrepreneurs, UK financial professionals and family offices. Dylan holds a Masters in Mechanical Engineering (MEng) from the University of Bath. He also holds the Investment Management Certificate (IMC). Dylan is a Chartered Fellow of the Securities and Investment Institute (CISI). Dylan is a real proponent of responsible capital and sustainable investment. Outside the office Dylan enjoys spending time with his young family and sports (rowing, cycling and triathlon).

Richard is a Director of Highvern and Head of Family Office. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1997 and holds an MBA from Warwick University. As well as having expertise in financial accounting and strategic financial planning, Richard has devoted the last 20 years of his career to the Family Office sector. He was the Director of a prominent Single Family Office from 2002-2012 and led the Multi-Family Office division of a prominent international fiduciary services firm from 2013 to 2021, dealing with Ultra High Net Worth individuals and their families from many jurisdictions including Europe, the US, the UAE and Russia. He has specific expertise in private equity, luxury assets, cryptocurrencies and philanthropy. At Highvern, Richard is responsible for managing some of the more complex client relationships, often with innovative structures. He is frequently asked to write articles for leading publications and regularly speaks at international conferences on specific issues relating to Family Offices.

Elena joined Bedell Cristin in the International Private Client practice based in Guernsey in August 2021.

Elena has extensive wealth planning experience in designing and establishing bespoke asset holding structures, including trusts, foundations and private trust companies for private and business assets. Much of her work has an international element and she works closely with families to develop governance crucial to their structures.  Her clients include individuals, trustees, government bodies, international financial institutions and family offices. She has particular experience acting for clients from Russia and the CIS.

Elena advises trustees on complex trust matters and regulatory issues.  In addition, she has particular expertise in advising multi and single family offices and investment offices on establishment, governance and regulatory issues. In recent years she has established a number of single family offices in Guernsey for international families.

Elena has worked in Guernsey and the City of London for some of the world’s leading international legal practices specialising in wealth planning. She was also the Head of Legal of a single family office.

Elena is fluent in both English and Russian.

Kerry leads the efforts we make as a firm to operate responsibly, to support our clients to achieve their sustainability objectives and to ensure that our business has a positive impact for our people, our communities and our natural environment. She also leads the firm’s Pro Bono practice, which provides access to free legal advice for individuals who need support to access justice and for small charities and social enterprises.

Kerry is a senior commercial litigator and solicitor advocate. She has extensive knowledge of the non-profit sector and social justice work, having held senior legal and management roles at leading international charities. Before joining Charles Russell Speechlys Kerry was the Global Head of Legal at TrustLaw (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – the world’s largest Pro Bono innovation and connection platform.

Ed advises on a range of private client and commercial trusts work. 

He works with financial institutions, private clients, family offices, trustees and beneficiaries on complex UK and international trust law issues, personal taxation, and estate planning.

Ed has considerable experience in complex trust law issues, including drafting bespoke family and commercial trusts for a range of clients.  He also advises UK and international individuals on UK personal tax, including residence, domicile, the remittance basis, pre-arrival planning and inheritance tax. 

He advises charity trustees, those who transact with charities and donors on charity law and philanthropy, including the creation of charities. 

Ed also has a particular interest in the law relating to art and cultural property, and has led the firm's Art and Heritage Property team since 2019.