Harbottle & Lewis

For more than 60 years, Harbottle & Lewis has acted for some of the most creative, talented and successful people, businesses and corporates, across all of their legal needs. Our private capital group brings together specialist professionals to provide a complete legal service for individuals. We ensure all of our clients’ personal and business affairs are looked after in order to maximise and protect their wealth, information and relationships.

Our ethos 

The firm’s legal and tax professionals take the time to understand their clients and their businesses, to ensure that the advice they provide is specific, effective and business-ready. Whether we are talking about wealth, relationships or information, our private capital expertise enables us to support our clients to help them successfully develop, grow and protect their assets.

We recognise that every individual is different, which is why our dedicated private capital specialists from across the firm collectively have the knowledge and experience to support them whatever their personal or business needs.

We pride ourselves on providing practical advice that allows clients to continue to maximise their capital, while at the same time protecting them from risk and potentially costly disputes. We enjoy a culture of long-standing client relationships, built on trust, and firmly anchored in the quality of our service.

UK-based, international advice 

The majority of our clients require advice that has an international dimension. Whether it be wealth structuring, immigration advice, business advice or advice on arriving, leaving or investing in the UK, we make sure that their UK interests are aligned with their international affairs.

Focus on family

We have a proven track record of handling complex family law issues with sensitivity and compassion, quietly and efficiently. We fight our clients’ corner – but we do so with respect and consideration for their family.

Whatever the background of the client, we are respected within the profession for resolving matters quickly and discreetly.

Focus on personal tax and wealth-structuring

We provide comprehensive and pragmatic wealth-structuring advice. We have a diverse client base, which means that we often come across previously unseen problems requiring innovative solutions.

Our clients benefit from our expertise in creating the most efficient structure to serve their personal circumstances, without them becoming overwhelmed by the process.

Focus on philanthropy and charity

By sharing a genuine understanding of what our clients want to achieve (gained from a long tradition of advising HNW and high-profile individuals and families, together with a wide range of contacts in the philanthropic sector), we can provide clear, transparent advice on structuring arrangements in the most tax efficient way – both for our clients and their chosen projects or charities.

Focus on probate and trust management

We believe that, during a time of bereavement, our clients need clear advice, provided with compassion and sensitivity. We can act in an administrative capacity for trustees and executors, while advising beneficiaries on the ways in which they might be able to mitigate inheritance tax through the use of past death variations of wills.

Focus on reputation protection

Reputation is built over time but can be destroyed in minutes. The speed with which material, true or false, can spread on a global basis means it is essential that steps are taken to protect personal information and respond quickly and decisively when it is under threat. We act for individuals, corporates and well-known brands to protect reputation and privacy, and to safeguard sensitive information. Our lawyers are among the most respected in their field.

Focus on residential property

We deal with all aspects of high-value residential property, from sales and purchases to lettings, redevelopments and disputes. We are experienced at structuring acquisitions and holdings to take account of tax planning and efficiencies, and work with our property litigation and tax experts in order to provide a comprehensive service to our clients on any matter relating to their property.

Focus on wills and estate planning

We provide a personalised, compassionate, sensitive and discreet service. Our clients benefit from our extensive experience dealing with HNW families and individuals, as well as estates containing image rights, royalties and other such assets and income streams. No matter how complex an estate, we provide practical advice, in plain English, on all elements of estate and succession planning.