Smith Hamilton was founded in 2014 as a boutique firm focused on corporate and commercial law, with expertise in fund management and advising senior executives, shareholders and entrepreneurs.
In 2023, the firm became part of MEUM Group, a multidisciplinary platform supporting ultra-high-net-worth individuals, their families and their businesses. During this period, our practice broadened significantly to include family, private client, education, charities and regulatory work, employment, and dispute resolution.
The law firm is now building on that growth to operate independently once again under the Smith Hamilton name. This transition reflects a natural progression in our growth and allows us to focus fully on delivering an integrated legal service under a single specialist brand, while retaining the expanded expertise developed over recent years.
For our clients, it remains very much business as usual – the same team, the same relationships, and an even broader depth of capability.
Private Client
Advising on the structuring, preservation and transfer of significant wealth.
We advise on the structuring, preservation and transfer of significant wealth, supporting individuals and families whose affairs require clarity, discretion and technical excellence. Our work spans estate and succession planning, trust and ownership structures, cross-border arrangements and long-term asset protection.
Clients rely on us to bring measured judgement to decisions that impact both their financial security and their family’s future. We take time to understand their priorities, whether safeguarding newly created wealth, planning for generational transition or navigating complex personal or commercial circumstances.
Partner-led and closely coordinated with trusted advisers where needed, our guidance provides stability, foresight and confidence at every stage of wealth stewardship.
Key Figure
Mark Stiebel
Partner
Our Private Client Services
Estate and Succession Planning
Trusts
Advising Entrepreneurial and First-Generation Wealth
Wealth and Ownership Structuring
Asset Protection
Tax-Sensitive Planning
Family Governance
We help individuals and families plan for the long-term transfer of wealth, ensuring clarity, tax-efficiency and the protection of future generations.
- Preparing comprehensive succession strategies
- Advising on wills and long-term estate planning
- Supporting multigenerational wealth transfer
- Coordinating cross-border planning where required
- Structuring estates to minimise disputes and preserve family assets
We advise on the creation, administration and restructuring of trusts to support wealth protection, tax efficiency and long-term family objectives.
- Establishing new trusts and advising on trust structures
- Reviewing and updating existing trusts
- Advising trustees on powers and duties
- Supporting beneficiaries with trust-related queries
- Managing trust governance and compliance
We support entrepreneurs and first-generation wealth creators with strategies that protect newly created assets and establish strong foundations for long-term financial security.
- Structuring personal and business assets
- Planning for liquidity events and business exits
- Protecting personal wealth from commercial risk
- Advising on tax-efficient wealth accumulation
- Preparing family members for wealth stewardship
We design ownership structures that protect assets, support tax efficiency and provide clarity around management and succession.
- Structuring ownership of businesses, property and investments
- Advising on family holding companies and partnerships
- Creating long-term ownership frameworks
- Integrating structures with personal and family planning
- Coordinating with international advisers where required
We help clients protect personal and family assets from commercial, financial and personal risks through strategic legal structuring.
- Implementing protective ownership arrangements
- Advising on trust and corporate structures
- Safeguarding assets during commercial activity or family change
- Reviewing vulnerabilities within current arrangements
- Supporting long-term preservation of family wealth
We advise on tax-efficient structures and planning strategies to support the preservation and transfer of wealth.
- Structuring assets to manage tax exposure
- Advising on inheritance tax and long-term planning
- Coordinating cross-border tax advice
- Supporting business owners with integrated tax strategies
- Ensuring planning aligns with regulatory and reporting requirements
We help families create governance frameworks that promote clarity, stability and unity around the management of shared wealth and long-term objectives.
- Establishing family constitutions and governance policies
- Facilitating decision-making frameworks for family assets
- Supporting succession and leadership planning
- Advising on family councils and governance structures
- Providing guidance on communication and conflict-avoidance mechanisms
Our Team
Who We Act For
Our clients value clear advice, commercial judgement and a calm, steady hand during complex transactions.