Piers Barclay Partner

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Piers is the head of private client.

Piers specialises in succession, tax and estate planning advice for individuals and their families as well as related advice to trustees and other private client service providers, such as family offices. In addition to UK-based clients, much of his work has an international element, including structuring multi-jurisdictional estates, using trusts in civil law and Sharia law countries and advising non-UK trustees on tax and fiduciary matters. 

He has experience in UK pre-entry planning for non-domiciliaries, remittance basis advice and the implementation of wills and associated mechanisms on arrival, both for entrepreneurs and for other high-net-worth individuals.

Before becoming a partner, Piers spent six months on secondment in the trusts department of a leading international law firm.

Piers is a member of the firm's probate group and has many years' experience advising on all probate related matters.

Professional memberships

  • STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners)

Expertise

Recent work

Complex succession plan

Leading a team of lawyers in six different jurisdictions on the development of a complex succession plan for a family with a significant trading business and a wide range of other valuable investments around the world.

Significant Liquid Investment Portfolio

Advising on a restructuring of an entrepreneur’s significant liquid investment portfolio in order to give a significant proportion to the client’s children who were US residents. This included detailed advice and technical input on the structuring and involving both US and UK investment guidelines and tax considerations.

Complex network of trusts

Advising an existing client in relation to changes to local legislation which had necessitated a restructuring of a complex network of trusts which hold a controlling stake in a very significant Russian business.

UK tax analysis

Advising an individual on the UK tax analysis arising from their move to the UK from Italy and the subsequent opening of a London office of their business which operates across Europe.

Significant trading business

Advising trustees on the proposed sale of their interest in a significant trading business abroad where the trustee wished to dispose of the asset before considering the distribution of the proceeds and the winding up the trust in the context of a long-running family dispute.

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What people are saying

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"He is extraordinarily bright; he knows all legal issues inside out. He has a wonderful manner with clients where they rely on his judgement, clients have great confidence in him."

Chambers HNW 2019

"He is a very good private client lawyer - he really engages with his client and gains their trust. He is extremely empathetic, so charming and very bright."

Chambers HNW 2019

"Piers Barclay is 'extremely knowledgeable and has excellent commercial sense'."

The UK Legal 500 2018

"He is really brilliant, he has great judgement and is very personable."

Chambers Global 2018

"His clients are absolutely devoted to him and he really has his clients' interests at heart."

Chambers Global 2018

"Piers' strengths include 'the extreme care that is given to the advice he proffers, his acumen and his experience'."

The UK Legal 500 2017

Quick reads

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In depth

Brexit: opportunity or threat for the Art industry?

Piers Barclay, Chris Mortimer, Helena Innes-Watson 18 Dec 2017
There is great uncertainty around the precise form Brexit will take and the effects it will have on the UK art market.
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Budget 2017 - the detail for private clients

Piers Barclay, Jennifer Smithson, Oliver Court, Robin Vos 28 Nov 2017
On 22 November, Philip Hammond delivered his second Budget of 2017, and the first under the new parliamentary timetable announced last year under which the Government moved to a...
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Non-dom changes confirmed

Piers Barclay, Robin Vos 14 Jul 2017
The government announced yesterday that it will press ahead with the changes to the taxation of non-domiciliaries which were withdrawn from the pre-election Finance Bill.
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An introduction to Family Offices

Piers Barclay, Oliver Court 01 May 2015
This note contains a brief introduction to what Family Offices are and how they are used in practice.
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