The Stone King International & Cross-Border team is one of only a few teams nationwide that is dedicated to nothing but international succession, cross-border planning and overseas probate work, including:

  • Advice to individuals
  • Charity legacy advice
  • Consultancy services to other law firms

All members of the team have been trained to deal with international and cross-borders matters in every jurisdiction of the world and particularly with multi-jurisdictional matters – where clients have assets in more than one overseas jurisdiction. Our specialist services include:

Where appropriate the team works closely with, and co-ordinates advice with our proven network of preferred foreign lawyers including: notaires, notaries, Notars, attorneys, avocats, abogados and Rechtsanwälte. Our international lawyers’ network has been carefully selected over the years to ensure they are independent and that they share our values and enthusiasm to provide you, our clients, with joined-up, cost effective, global advice.

Watch: Choosing a solicitor for your cross-border will

This video explores factors to consider when choosing a solicitor for your cross border will and what the process may look like.

Advice to individuals

Our clients include UK individuals with assets abroad, and non-UK individuals who own assets in the UK. Some of our clients simply need advice on their modest holiday home abroad, while others are ultra-high net worth clients with assets in multiple jurisdictions.

The team’s work includes:

  • Preparing wills for those with assets based in foreign jurisdictions.
  • Preparing wills for non-UK residents to cover their UK assets.
  • Succession planning.
  • Inheritance tax advice and inheritance tax saving.
  • Domicile analysis and habitual resident analysis.
  • Foreign probate (estate administration / succession).
  • Co-ordinating legal advice across different countries or jurisdictions.
  • Providing assistance following the overseas death of a family member or friend.
  • Notarisation and legalisation (with apostille) of documentation.
  • Re-sealing of foreign grants of probate under the Colonial Probates Act.
  • Project managing complex multi-national estates

Charity legacy advice

Charity clients tell us that Stone King is regarded as the ‘go-to’ firm for providing international and cross-border assistance to charities in England & Wales.

We understand the regulatory regime within which our charity clients must work and are particularly sensitive to reputational pressures.

We work closely with legacy teams to ensure that overseas legacies are collected quickly and cost-effectively.

Our forté is dealing with multi-jurisdictional, multi-million pound foreign estates, and negotiating both with HMRC and overseas tax-authorities to ensure that the charity inheritance tax exemptions are properly applied, insofar as that is possible, but we also work closely with charity legacy teams on smaller matters, often providing guidance on an informal basis.

International & Cross-Border consultancy services to other law firms

We are recognised as experts in international and cross-border succession and planning and regularly provide training to UK and foreign lawyers and other professionals including: notaries public, barristers, will writers, financial advisors and accountants.

Lawyers come to us because they are able to instruct us as specialists knowing we have no ambition to be instructed directly by their client, although we are equally delighted to accept referrals.

We provide a specialist consultancy cross-border service to both UK and foreign law firms, regularly assisting with private international law issues involving: the conflicts of laws, renvoi, forced heirship, matrimonial property regimes, double-taxation, succession treaty interpretation, common law domicile and civil law domicile.

Our advice often ‘unlocks’ deadlocked administrations, ensures assets pass to the correct beneficiaries and saves tax.

Related international services

In support of the specialist International and Cross-Border team, Stone King is delighted to offer the following services:

What our clients say

"Worth every penny. Prior to speaking with you this morning I’ve had conversations with three separate solicitors about this. One … basically told me to blag it … one told me that leaving the house in the will was the best option but without explaining why; and the third talked as if this was the most complex arrangement ever proposed and seemed to confuse even himself.

"You laid everything out with perfect clarity and patience. Huge relief coming off the call."

Simon B

What our clients say

"Stone King LLP is ‘very good’ in its particular niches of cross-border estates and older and vulnerable client services."

Legal 500 - 2019

What our clients say

"Extremely knowledgeable with excellent customer service - the advice comprehensively brought together issues across borders and the fees were more than covered by potential cost savings as a result of implementation of a tax efficient will structure."

Client Satisfaction Survey Feedback

What our clients say

"Sometimes I couldn’t see the road ahead through all the bureaucracy and international laws and regulations which became quite stressful and demanding, but I am now delighted that the estate has been wound up without further legal issues.

"Thank you again for all your hard work and advice. Without the support and professionalism of you, Dan and your practice, sorting out the estate would have been impossible to implement independently."

Edward J

 

The law and practice referred to in this article or webinar has been paraphrased or summarised. It might not be up-to-date with changes in the law and we do not guarantee the accuracy of any information provided at the time of reading. It should not be construed or relied upon as legal advice in relation to a specific set of circumstances.