Piers Barclay Partner

Partner
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Piers is the head of private client.

Piers specialises in succession, tax and estate planning advice for individuals and their families as well as related advice to trustees and other private client service providers, such as family offices. In addition to UK-based clients, much of his work has an international element, including structuring multi-jurisdictional estates, using trusts in civil law and Shari’a law countries and advising non-UK trustees on tax and fiduciary matters.

He has experience in UK pre-arrival planning for non-domiciliaries, remittance basis advice and the implementation of trusts, wills and associated mechanisms on arrival, both for entrepreneurs and for other high-net-worth individuals.  Piers is also involved in the post-death administration of estates, both in the UK and in the international context.

Before becoming a partner, Piers spent six months on secondment in the trusts department of a leading international law firm.

Piers is ranked as a Tier One adviser in the UK and Global editions of the independent Chambers guide and as a leading individual in the UK Legal 500 guide. He has been recognised in the eprivateclient 2021 50 Most Influential list and is recommended in the 2021 Private Client Global Elite guide.

Professional memberships

  • STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners)

Expertise

Recent work

Strategic investment

Advising consortium led by Lawrence Stroll on a £500m strategic investment in FTSE250 luxury British sports car manufacturer Aston Martin Lagonda.

International succession planning

Leading a team of lawyers in six different jurisdictions on the development of a complex succession plan for a family with a significant trading business and a wide range of other valuable investments around the world.

UK/US estate planning

Advising on a restructuring of an entrepreneur’s significant liquid investment portfolio in order to give a significant proportion to the client’s children who were US residents. This included detailed advice and technical input on the structuring and involving both US and UK investment guidelines and tax considerations.

Pre-arrival planning

Advising an individual on the UK tax analysis arising from their move to the UK from Italy and the subsequent opening of a London office of their business which operates across Europe.

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What people are saying

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"[Piers Barclay] is as good as it gets in the London market. He is a font of knowledge."

Chambers HNW 2022

"Piers Barclay is a true leader, not only in his field but for the group more generally. Clients adore Piers and he is able to handle the most difficult of personalities."

The UK Legal 500 2021

"[Piers Barclay] needs no introduction; he's one of the best private client lawyers in London."

Chambers HNW 2021

"He is one of the most knowledgeable lawyers in the UK when it comes to private client work."

Chambers HNW 2021

"Clients love him and his lovely dry English sense of humour. He is phenomenally clever and he has impeccable judgement."

Chambers HNW 2021

"He is just excellent, no doubt about that. He's solution-driven, great with clients, and he always has an answer to a difficult question."

Chambers HNW 2021

Quick reads

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In depth

“Short-term” loans and yearly interest: the case of Hargreaves Property Holdings v HMRC

Naomi Charrington, Piers Barclay 02 Dec 2021
In the recent case of Hargreaves Property Holdings v HMRC, the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) (Tax Chamber) dismissed the taxpayer’s appeal against assessments to income tax on the...
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Budget 2021: key policies for private clients

Piers Barclay, Nicholas Harries, Robin Vos 03 Mar 2021
This was a Budget of two parts. The first part was all about supporting the economy as we come out of lockdown with, as expected, a continuation of the various measures that have...
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