Partner

Private Client

Expertise

Remi Aiyela is an international private wealth lawyer with over 15 years’ experience. She is used to working with both domestic and international clients with assets in single and multiple jurisdictions, cross border estates, international trusts and tax advice on succession planning.

Her expertise covers all areas of private wealth advice including wills, probate and estate administrations, cross border estates, tax and trusts including domestic and offshore trusts, trust drafting and administration, tax planning for UK and other jurisdictions, lasting powers of attorney, mental capacity, deputyship applications and other Court of Protection applications.

Remi Advises

  • International & Domestic Clients
  • Non-doms & Non-residents
  • Business Owners
  • Wealth Managers
  • Family Offices
  • Trust Companies
  • Elderly Clients

Experience Highlights

  • Advising a non-domiciled and non-resident client on a strategy for the transfer of his Hyde Park property valued at £2 million, whilst mitigating inheritance and other applicable capital taxes. Through a combination of lease carve-out and use of an offshore company and foundation we were able to achieve a significant saving on the inheritance tax that would have been payable in the event of death in that tax year.
  • Advising a client who owned a St Johns Wood apartment valued in excess of £2.5 million about her options for bringing the current ownership structure to an end and the tax consequences that could impact the proposed options. The advice included looking at the tax consequences of winding up the offshore company but retaining the offshore trust as owner of the property; terminating the trust but retaining the offshore company as owner of the property; winding up the company and transferring the property to another offshore trust in a jurisdiction with lower administrative charges; transferring the property to an offshore foundation.
  • Administering the estate of a client who died without a will. The estate included valuable property abroad, while the distribution involved 12 beneficiaries in four separate countries, some of whom had to be traced. The deceased’s estate was also the beneficiary of an undistributed estate, which included property in another jurisdiction, where the executors were trying to sell the land to their family members at well under its market value. We took action in the jurisdiction to stop the land registry there from transferring the property, ensuring the property was properly valued and sold on the open market thereby thwarting the plan to defraud the beneficiaries.
  • Drafting a will for clients with a disabled child who wished to ensure that the child was well looked after. The clients were concerned about choosing the right executors, trustees and guardians and ensuring that the beneficiary’s inheritance would be protected. We used special trusts and built in protection mechanisms in the way funds would be invested and released to the trustees to protect the beneficiary and the assets.
  • Drafting trusts for an international client who was worried that, in spite of having wills in place, the culture in his home jurisdiction would make it easy for his surviving brother to take all his assets and leave his spouse and children without. With the trusts and the tax mitigation measures, we were able to achieve the client’s objectives of making provision for his spouse and children in his lifetime.

Publications

  • “Making use of tax breaks” – Surrey Advertiser
  • “Pension death benefits and inheritance tax planning” – Laytons Estate Planning newsletter
  • “Skilled professional advice now more important than ever” – Retirement Planner
  • “Pre-owned assets tax and business trusts” – Surrey Advertiser
  • “Passing on the Wealth: the end of accumulation and maintenance trusts?” – Cheshire Life
  • “Trusts update following Finance Act (No.2) 2006” – Retirement Planner
  • “Section 103 problem comes home to roost” – Society of Will Writers Journal

Career History

Previous Law Firms

  • Cavendish Law, Mayfair, London – Founder and Principal
  • Central Law Training, Altior, LexisNexis, STEP, Society of Will Writers – Freelance Trainer
  • Laytons Solicitors, London – Senior Solicitor, Head of Private Client (Guildford)
  • Sherman Phillips Solicitors, London – Consultant Solicitor, Head of Private Client
  • Caversham Group Plc (including Universal Trust Corporation), London – Estate Planning Practitioner rising to Head of Legal Services

Other Qualifications

  • Barrister (non-practising)
  • Accredited Mediator

Education

  • University of London – Bachelor of Laws with Honours (LLB Hons)
  • University College, University of London – Master of Laws (LLM)
  • London School of Economics, University of London – Post-Graduate research
  • Bar of England and Wales – Barrister, of Lincoln’s Inn
  • University College London in association with Regents college – Accredited Mediator
  • Law Society of England and Wales – Solicitor Advocate (with Higher Courts All Proceedings Qualification)

Expertise

Back to top

Remi Aiyela is an international private wealth lawyer with over 15 years’ experience. She is used to working with both domestic and international clients with assets in single and multiple jurisdictions, cross border estates, international trusts and tax advice on succession planning.

Her expertise covers all areas of private wealth advice including wills, probate and estate administrations, cross border estates, tax and trusts including domestic and offshore trusts, trust drafting and administration, tax planning for UK and other jurisdictions, lasting powers of attorney, mental capacity, deputyship applications and other Court of Protection applications.

Remi Advises

Back to top

  • International & Domestic Clients
  • Non-doms & Non-residents
  • Business Owners
  • Wealth Managers
  • Family Offices
  • Trust Companies
  • Elderly Clients

Experience Highlights

Back to top

  • Advising a non-domiciled and non-resident client on a strategy for the transfer of his Hyde Park property valued at £2 million, whilst mitigating inheritance and other applicable capital taxes. Through a combination of lease carve-out and use of an offshore company and foundation we were able to achieve a significant saving on the inheritance tax that would have been payable in the event of death in that tax year.
  • Advising a client who owned a St Johns Wood apartment valued in excess of £2.5 million about her options for bringing the current ownership structure to an end and the tax consequences that could impact the proposed options. The advice included looking at the tax consequences of winding up the offshore company but retaining the offshore trust as owner of the property; terminating the trust but retaining the offshore company as owner of the property; winding up the company and transferring the property to another offshore trust in a jurisdiction with lower administrative charges; transferring the property to an offshore foundation.
  • Administering the estate of a client who died without a will. The estate included valuable property abroad, while the distribution involved 12 beneficiaries in four separate countries, some of whom had to be traced. The deceased’s estate was also the beneficiary of an undistributed estate, which included property in another jurisdiction, where the executors were trying to sell the land to their family members at well under its market value. We took action in the jurisdiction to stop the land registry there from transferring the property, ensuring the property was properly valued and sold on the open market thereby thwarting the plan to defraud the beneficiaries.
  • Drafting a will for clients with a disabled child who wished to ensure that the child was well looked after. The clients were concerned about choosing the right executors, trustees and guardians and ensuring that the beneficiary’s inheritance would be protected. We used special trusts and built in protection mechanisms in the way funds would be invested and released to the trustees to protect the beneficiary and the assets.
  • Drafting trusts for an international client who was worried that, in spite of having wills in place, the culture in his home jurisdiction would make it easy for his surviving brother to take all his assets and leave his spouse and children without. With the trusts and the tax mitigation measures, we were able to achieve the client’s objectives of making provision for his spouse and children in his lifetime.

Publications

Back to top

  • “Making use of tax breaks” – Surrey Advertiser
  • “Pension death benefits and inheritance tax planning” – Laytons Estate Planning newsletter
  • “Skilled professional advice now more important than ever” – Retirement Planner
  • “Pre-owned assets tax and business trusts” – Surrey Advertiser
  • “Passing on the Wealth: the end of accumulation and maintenance trusts?” – Cheshire Life
  • “Trusts update following Finance Act (No.2) 2006” – Retirement Planner
  • “Section 103 problem comes home to roost” – Society of Will Writers Journal

Career History

Back to top

Previous Law Firms

  • Cavendish Law, Mayfair, London – Founder and Principal
  • Central Law Training, Altior, LexisNexis, STEP, Society of Will Writers – Freelance Trainer
  • Laytons Solicitors, London – Senior Solicitor, Head of Private Client (Guildford)
  • Sherman Phillips Solicitors, London – Consultant Solicitor, Head of Private Client
  • Caversham Group Plc (including Universal Trust Corporation), London – Estate Planning Practitioner rising to Head of Legal Services

Other Qualifications

  • Barrister (non-practising)
  • Accredited Mediator

Education

  • University of London – Bachelor of Laws with Honours (LLB Hons)
  • University College, University of London – Master of Laws (LLM)
  • London School of Economics, University of London – Post-Graduate research
  • Bar of England and Wales – Barrister, of Lincoln’s Inn
  • University College London in association with Regents college – Accredited Mediator
  • Law Society of England and Wales – Solicitor Advocate (with Higher Courts All Proceedings Qualification)

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