We have advised and assisted several high net-worth overseas clients with cross-border estate planning. We have drafted jurisdiction-specific Wills taking into account pre-existing overseas Will(s) while ensuring seamless asset transfer to international heirs and avoiding conflicts of law.
Trust, Estate and Inheritance Planning
In a world that moves faster every day, the future doesn’t look after itself — it must be deliberately designed.
We are here to make sure your tomorrow works exactly as you intend: your wealth protected, your wishes honoured, and your family secure no matter what lies ahead.
Our preparation goes far beyond documentation. We build future-proof structures that anticipate change — whether it’s shifting family dynamics, cross-border assets, or new tax and regulatory realities. Every plan we create is shaped around your real life practical needs, and attaining the outcomes you actually care about.
We provide expertise in:
- Estate planning: In the dynamic financial landscape of Hong Kong, ensuring your legacy is secured for future generations requires not just foresight but also expert legal guidance with practical experience. We specialize in estate planning, offering tailored solutions to protect your assets and ensure your wishes are honored.
- Inheritance planning: We understand the intricacies of inheritance tax and how it can affect asset distribution. Our strategies are designed to reduce your tax burden while ensuring your heirs receive their due in the most straightforward manner possible.
- Trusts: Whether you're looking to establish a revocable living trust for flexibility or an irrevocable trust for tax benefits, our team guides you through creating a trust that aligns with your personal and financial goals. We also team up with our very experienced trustees to provide you the overall advice on the operation of the trust to be set up.
- Will drafting: Through intensive communication with you, we ensure that your decisions are set in stone and your estate protected by the law.
- Probate: Time is of the essence when it comes to the passing of one’s estate. Through our forward-looking structures, we ensure that this lengthy process is shortened as much as possible. No matter the domicile of our client, we will confidently guide you and your family through necessary legal hurdles.
Experiences
We are often tasked with the establishment of sophisticated trusts for asset protection and management. Our clients often require the establishment of a mix of revocable living trusts and irrevocable discretionary trusts, tailored for their own purposes. This allowed the client to retain control during their lifetime, achieve significant tax efficiencies, protect assets from future family disputes or creditors, and provide for staggered distributions to children and grandchildren across different countries.
We have worked closely with a blended family (including children from previous marriages and overseas dependents) to draft tailored Wills that clearly articulated asset distribution, appointment of executors, and specific bequests. By anticipating life changes such as relocation or new family members, we incorporated flexible clauses to future-proof the plan and reduce the risk of challenges under Hong Kong's jurisprudence.
Many of our clients require assistance with probate administration. We have assisted many foreign clients in this area stretching from Asia-Pacific to the UAE. It is our experience that this can be a lengthy process which is why expertise is evermore important. Having assisted numerous clients with their probate application in the Hong Kong’s probate registry, we boast an efficient probate practice to support our client’s access to a deceased’s estate.