Family office

What we mean by ‘family office’

Family office is a term that is widely used, but often poorly defined. In practice, it is not a single service or product.

Our family office offering reflects the reality of how families often face a complex mix of legal, financial and personal considerations, particularly during periods of change or succession. It is therefore a holistic legal service, designed to bring together advice across multiple specialist areas and jurisdictions, shaped around the priorities of you and your family.

Its value lies in clarity, coordination and connectivity, combining deep technical expertise with a clear understanding of the personal, commercial and international context in which decisions are made.

One point of coordination. Many areas of expertise.

Families with significant wealth and complex affairs rarely need advice in just one area. Our family office offering provides access to a broad, integrated team, including specialists in:

• Private wealth and estate planning
• International private wealth and succession
• Trusts, tax and structuring (UK and offshore)
• Charitable and philanthropic giving
• Family and matrimonial matters, including high net worth and international issues
• Owner managed and family businesses
• Real estate
• Landed estates and rural affairs
• Immigration and global mobility
• Contentious and advisory matters, including commercial disputes, will, trust and estate disputes and risk management

We work collaboratively, ensuring that advice is aligned and that nothing is considered in isolation.

A highly personal service

Family office work is as much about people as it is about structure. Our team combines extensive experience with a thoughtful, client-focussed approach to help families plan confidently for the future.

We take time to understand the dynamics, values and long term ambitions of our clients. Often, we work with families at pivotal moments — transitions between generations, the sale or growth of a family business, relocation, or significant life events.

Our role is to provide calm, experienced guidance, combining technical excellence with a highly personal, relationship led service built on trust and discretion.

International perspective, global reach

Many of the families we work with have international assets, interests or family members spread across the world. That brings opportunity, but also complexity.

Our family office offering is supported by our international desk and network model. Through dedicated regional desks, we bring together lawyers with deep market knowledge, cultural understanding and trusted local connections, acting as a central point of coordination for international matters.

The result is a seamless experience for families, with Weightmans as a single, trusted point of contact, managing complexity and helping you operate confidently on a global scale. 

Who we work with

Our family office services are designed for:

• High net worth and ultra high net worth individuals and families experiencing major life events — such as a business sale, inheritance, divorce, retirement, relocation or bereavement;
• Multi-generational families — families seeking to preserve wealth, manage succession, and prepare younger generations for future responsibilities;
• Family trustees and beneficiaries — requiring governance, trust administration and succession planning support;
• International families — with assets, businesses or family members spread across multiple jurisdictions;
• Entrepreneurs and business owners — particularly those who have built, sold or inherited successful businesses;
• Family-owned businesses — where family, ownership and management interests overlap; and
• Private investors and landowners — with diverse asset holdings that require coordinated oversight.

Whether you already operate a formal family office structure or are simply looking for better coordination across your affairs, we tailor our approach to your needs.