Overview
International wealth planning has changed fundamentally over the past decade. Automatic exchange of financial account information under the OECD Common Reporting Standard, beneficial ownership registers, and stricter bank due diligence mean that structures designed around secrecy no longer serve families well. Today, durable planning is transparent planning: structures that the family's tax authorities, banks and heirs can understand, and that do exactly what they are documented to do.
For internationally mobile families, the challenge is coordination. A family may hold a residence in one country, citizenship in two others, a holding company in a fourth and real estate in a fifth, with children studying abroad. Each country applies its own rules on tax residence, forced heirship, matrimonial property and the recognition of trusts or foundations. The 1985 Hague Trusts Convention helps in the states that have ratified it, but many civil law countries do not recognise trusts in the same way, and succession outcomes can differ sharply from what a family expects.
Legal Wealth does not replace licensed tax and legal counsel. Our role is to map the family's position, identify where rules interact or conflict, set out the questions that need formal advice, and coordinate the specialists who provide it. We then help implement and maintain the agreed plan, including the documentation, governance and periodic reviews that keep it effective as laws and family circumstances change.
Succession is as much about people as about structures. Family charters, clear decision-making processes and the preparation of the next generation often determine whether wealth survives a transition. We help families put those foundations in place at a level appropriate to their size and complexity.
Key benefits
- A single, documented view of assets, entities, residences and family members across jurisdictions
- Early identification of conflicts between tax residence, forced heirship and matrimonial property rules
- Structures designed to be transparent to banks and tax authorities, reducing friction and reputational risk
- Coordinated instructions to tax, legal, trust and banking professionals, with one point of contact for the family
- Family governance documents that set expectations for decision-making and the next generation
- Scheduled reviews so that the plan keeps pace with changes in law, residence and family circumstances
Requirements
- Full disclosure of assets, liabilities, entities and existing structures, including those held through nominees
- Details of each family member's citizenship, residence and tax residence
- Existing wills, trust deeds, foundation charters, shareholder agreements and marriage contracts
- Engagement of licensed tax and legal advisers in each relevant jurisdiction for formal opinions
- Commitment to full compliance with tax reporting, beneficial ownership and anti-money laundering rules
- Documentary evidence of the source of wealth for any assets to be restructured
- Agreement on decision-makers and how family information will be shared internally
Service modules
Cross-border wealth map
A confidential inventory of assets, entities, residences and family members, with an analysis of where tax, succession and reporting rules interact and the questions that need formal advice.
Structure review and coordination
Review of existing holding companies, trusts and foundations for substance, purpose and reporting status, and coordination of any restructuring with the family's licensed advisers.
Trusts and foundations (general guidance)
An explanation of how trusts and private foundations work, where they are recognised, and the governance, reporting and substance they require, so the family can take informed decisions with counsel.
Family governance
Support in drafting a family charter, defining decision-making bodies and preparing the next generation for ownership and responsibility.
Succession and legacy planning
Coordination of wills across jurisdictions, beneficiary planning and philanthropic intentions, with periodic review as circumstances change.
Step-by-step process
- 1
Discovery
A confidential conversation on the family's goals, concerns and current arrangements, followed by an agreed information request.
- 2
Mapping
We build the wealth map and identify the legal and tax questions that each relevant jurisdiction raises.
- 3
Specialist advice
We brief licensed tax and legal advisers, obtain their formal opinions and consolidate them into options for the family.
- 4
Decision and implementation
The family chooses a course of action, and we coordinate documents, entity changes, bank onboarding and filings.
- 5
Governance
Where relevant, we help formalise family governance, roles and communication.
- 6
Ongoing review
We schedule reviews after changes in residence, family events or law, and at regular intervals.
Typical documents
- Identity documents and proof of residence for each family member
- Tax residence certificates and recent tax returns
- Company registers, shareholder agreements and financial statements for holding entities
- Trust deeds, letters of wishes, foundation charters and by-laws
- Wills and any marriage or partnership contracts
- Property title documents
- Bank and investment account statements
- Source-of-wealth evidence
How Legal Wealth helps
Legal Wealth brings order and continuity to complex family wealth. We hold the overall picture, frame the right questions for licensed tax and legal advisers, and coordinate implementation so that every structure is purposeful, documented and transparent to the institutions that need to understand it. We do not market off-the-shelf structures or promise tax outcomes; we help families make informed decisions and keep their arrangements compliant as laws and lives change.
Enquire with Legal WealthFrequently asked questions
Do you provide tax or legal opinions?
Formal tax and legal opinions are provided by licensed advisers in the relevant jurisdictions. We coordinate them, either with the family's existing advisers or with independent advisers the family appoints.
Can a trust or foundation keep our assets confidential?
Structures can protect privacy from the public, but not from the authorities. Under the CRS, beneficial ownership rules and bank due diligence, relevant information is reported to tax authorities. We design plans on the assumption of full transparency to regulators.
Will a trust be recognised in a civil law country?
Recognition varies. States that have ratified the 1985 Hague Trusts Convention recognise trusts under its terms, while others may treat them differently. Local counsel should confirm the position in each country where assets or beneficiaries are located.
What is forced heirship and why does it matter?
Many civil law and Sharia-based systems reserve fixed shares of an estate for certain heirs. Depending on nationality, residence and asset location, these rules can override a will, so they must be considered early.
How does a change of residence affect our plan?
A move can change tax residence, applicable succession law and reporting obligations. Plans should be reviewed before any relocation or residence-by-investment application is completed.
How often should a plan be reviewed?
At least every few years, and always after a change of residence, a birth, death, marriage or divorce, or a significant liquidity event.
Last reviewed: 2026-10. Requirements, fees and timelines change. Information is general, reviewed on the date shown, and is not legal or tax advice.
