Private wealth services for law firms

Our Private Wealth teams regularly support other firms of solicitors by providing services to their clients which the firms are unable to offer themselves.

Many firms refer clients to Hugh James using Legal Network, a free referral and support network for law firms, in which we offer a fee share on our paid legal fees and a commitment that we will not poach, cross-sell or market our services to Legal Network member firms’ clients.

Our Private Wealth Services for Law Firms include:

• Independent administrator services – acting as an independent administrator of deceased estates following an appointment by the court.
• Independent trustee services – acting as an independent trustee of trusts following an appointment by the court or where an independent trustee is required for other reasons.
• Grant of probate service – obtaining grants of probate that are required by law firms in order to progress client matters they are dealing with, such as litigation on behalf of a deceased person’s estate.
• Private wealth dispute services for law firms – assisting law firms’ private client departments with disputes that have arisen in relation to wills, estates and trusts.
• Wills and estate planning – we offer these services to firms who do not deal with wills and estate planning, where their client needs advice; for example, following the sale of a business, a property transaction, a compensation payment, or a divorce.  We can also offer wills and estate planning services for the employees of law firms as an employee benefit.
• Personal injury trusts – we can advise on and draft trust deeds to house compensation money.
• Trust registration service – we can register trusts in respect of which partners of other law firms, or their clients, are acting as trustees, on the HM Revenue and Customs Trust Registration Service.
• Executor support services – if law firm partners or their clients are acting as executor, we can provide support if needed. For example, we can assist with deeds of variation, issue-specific advice, or complex tax matters.
• Trustee support services – if law firm partners or their clients are acting as trustee, we can provide support if needed.  This includes drafting deeds, advising on the trustees’ duties and responsibilities, and independent advice for beneficiaries.
• Court of protection – we can deal with applications for deputyship where a law firm’s client has lost capacity. Please click here to visit our Court of Protection pages, or make an enquiry using the form below.
• Lasting powers of attorney – we can arrange powers of attorney for clients of other law firms where this is required. Please click here to visit our Powers of Attorney pages, or make an enquiry using the form below.
• Nursing care fee recovery – we deal with claims on behalf of individuals or their executors (including professional executors such as trust corporations or partners in law firms), where they have over-paid nursing home fees due to having been incorrectly assessed for NHS funding. Please click here to visit our Nursing Care Fee Recovery pages, or make an enquiry using the form below.
• Independent financial advice – our Independent Financial Advisers team can provide professional independent financial advice to the clients of other law firms, or to law firm partners and employees.  Please click here to visit our Independent Financial Advisers pages, or make an enquiry using the form below.