Our private clients practice group provides a range of legal services tailored for individuals, including high net worth individuals and families to assist them in estate planning, to facilitate succession planning and optimise wealth management and enable wealth transfer arrangements.
We also work closely with our corporate, immigration and real estate practices to provide a seamless and comprehensive service. We are deeply dedicated to serving the diverse and often complex needs of our individual clients. From creating a will, establishing a trust and advancing philanthropic causes, we listen carefully to our clients to better understand their requirements, objectives and wishes in estate planning and provide efficient advice, suggest viable options to effectively help our clients achieve their objectives.
We create a secure and confidential environment, where our clients feel comfortable and confident in discussing their concerns, objective and wishes in estate planning so that they can make the best and most appropriate legal decisions.
Our Practice
Our Private Clients Practice Group is concerned with fulfilling the private needs of individuals, including the individuals behind our corporate and business clients. These needs relate broadly to an individual’s family and the preservation of personal wealth to fulfil the individual’s objectives.
Estate Planning – Described as the art of organising your affairs in such a way that, no matter how rich or poor you consider yourself to be, you achieve your maximum potential for wealth protection and are able to enjoy it as much as possible during your lifetime, all your loved ones and dependants are properly provided for in accordance with your wishes and their needs and none of your hard earned wealth (or as little as possible) is lost in unnecessary expenses and taxes. An estate plan may be prepared at any time of your life but is more effective the earlier you start. It may include aspects of Trusts, Wills and Probate among other things.
Trusts – Often used to protect assets and preserve them for the use and benefit of future generations or other beneficiaries of your choice. They have other uses, for example, in the context of wills, avoiding probate and mitigating death duties which may arise in other countries.
Wills and Probate – This is not just about providing for your family or making sure the right people get the right amount after you move to the next world. It is about caring for your family now through timely planning. Putting the right person in charge of your property. Making sure that things are as easy as possible for your family in the event of your death. It need not be too difficult nor take a lot of your time to make a will. Our fast track wills system eases the process for you, making it as painless and efficient as possible.
Estate Duty – Although estate duty has been abolished in Singapore, in cases of death on or after 15 February 2008, it is still relevant to the estates of persons who died before that date.
Immigration – Advice on and assisting on applications for and the renewal of employment and dependant passes, multiple entry visas, permanent residence applications, professional visit passes, social and business visit passes, re-entry permits, training passes and Singapore citizenship.
Employment – We provide comprehensive advice and practical guidance for executives whether you are on garden leave or simply moving on to richer pastures. We can assist in helping you to understand the legal paperwork, your contractual rights and obligations and making sure that, when you get back on the job, this is done with the minimum interruption and that all your contractual and negotiated benefits from your immediate past employment remain intact.
Our Experience
Offshore Trusts & Estate Planning – Regularly advise on and prepare documentation for trusts, including offshore trusts and estate planning.
Lifetime & Protective Trust – Setting up lifetime and protective trusts and advising trustees on various aspects of trusts, for example, the set up, tax implications, administration and estate litigation.
Wills & Probate – Wills and probate matters, both contentious and non-contentious.
Wills – Fast track wills procedure: we can speedily draft wills to suit all needs, including the simple family provision will to mutual wills, joint wills and wills for those with special requirements.
Trust Administration – Advising on transactions related to trust administration including capital di stribution, asset sale and development of real property assets.
Offshore Trusts – Advising settlors in planning and setting up offshore trusts and other offshore vehicles for estate planning, asset management and wealth management.