News: August 2014

Fed up with trusts? Try a FIC!

If you want to give something away but retain some control over it, chances are that an English lawyer will tell you to use a trust. I am a great fan of trusts but, let’s be honest, they have some potential drawbacks. For example, if an individual puts more than £325,000 into trust, a 20% […]

Lucian Freud’s ‘secret will’

A court case over the £42 million residuary estate of the painter Lucian Freud has resulted in its true recipients remaining a closely guarded secret, despite the fact that his will was made public when it was proved at the Probate Registry. So how was this feat achieved and, for anyone not wanting the world […]