Paul Fairbairn

Spear's Review

A trusted adviser to his clients, Paul Fairbairn works with HNW families to help structure the ownership of their assets across generations in a tax-efficient manner, often in advance of major 'realisation' events. He regularly advises clients who are not domiciled in the UK, and also has extensive experience of advising owners of large rural estates on their succession, heritage assets and tax planning.

'The law in this area can change overnight and this keeps my role exciting and what I do relevant to all,’ Fairbairn tells Spear’s. 'In my experience, clients are looking for someone who can cut through the jargon to give them confidence in what they are doing.'

Adviser Profile

Paul has worked with some of the country’s oldest families who have estates, businesses and trust structures dating back hundreds of years. He also advises on first generation wealth looking forward to the future. He is a trustee of multiple family trusts in both his personal and professional capacity as well as being a director of Cripps Trust Corporation and a director of companies connected with his trusteeships and clients’ businesses.

Having specialised in estate planning and trust law from early in his career, Paul has been fortunate to act as a professional adviser to many complex trust and family arrangements rooted in history. This experience has provided him with a privileged view into the rewarding ways of preserving wealth and family legacy. The lessons he has learned give him valuable insight, particularly when working with newly generated wealth.

The world is an increasingly small place and most families, particularly those with wealth, have some connection with another jurisdiction. Paul advises many clients on succession issues and UK tax who are not domiciled in the UK but are either resident here or have property or business interests in the UK, particularly those from the US, Europe and the Middle East. He has built up close ties with advisers in these areas and is well-versed in the pitfalls of cross-jurisdictional planning.