About
Sophie’s practice is centred on UK and international estate planning, with a focus on advising individuals, families and their advisors on Anglo/Swiss wealth protection, lifetime planning, succession structuring and tax mitigation.
Sophie advises on the creation, maintenance and winding up of trusts and associated structures, with an eye to related private client matters – mental capacity issues, family relationship dynamics and the involvement of private business assets. Sophie additionally advises on cross-border succession and estate planning, and is experienced in preparing complex cross-border wills with associated tax advice. Sophie frequently advises on the administration of estates (probate) with UK and Swiss connections, as well as on Anglo/Swiss mental capacity matters. Her practice also expands to advising non-UK nationals on pre-UK residency planning. Sophie’s advice often touches upon family and children matters, typically with an international element.
Sophie is admitted to practice in England & Wales and as a foreign lawyer to the EU list of the supervisory commission of lawyers for the canton of Geneva and the Swiss Federation. She is based in our Geneva office.
Sophie is TEP qualified and on the Committee of the STEP Geneva Branch. She launched the STEP Geneva NextGen networking initiative at the start of 2024.
Experience
- Establishing and implementing trust and family governance structures
- Advising on global succession issues concerning cross-border estates, in particular high net worth multi-jurisdictional estates
- Preparing a range of Wills and other testamentary documents, particularly where there is an Anglo/Swiss connection
- Advising on conflicts of laws and the EU Succession Regulation as it applies to UK nationals
- Advising on administration of estates (probate) with a UK and Swiss connection, including those with contentious elements
- Preparing Lasting Powers of Attorney for UK and Swiss connected clients and advising on Anglo/Swiss mental capacity matters
- Advising on pre-UK residency planning for high net worth international families
- Advising on the UK Statutory Residence Test and preparing domicile statements
- Advising on the tax treatment of UK/Swiss property purchase, ownership and sale for individuals, trustees and companies
- Advising trustees of UK tax and reporting issues in relation to UK resident domiciled and non-domiciled settlors/beneficiaries
- Advising on co-habitation, pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements
