From establishing offshore trusts and foundations to navigating complex tax structures, our team of offshore trust lawyers provide meticulous guidance at every step. Trust in our expertise as a leading private client law firm to help navigate the intricate landscape of wealth management and to protect your interests effectively and across borders.

Offshore trust law

We advise on all aspects of offshore trust law, including the establishment, administration, restructuring and termination of private, charitable and commercial trusts and foundations. Our offshore trusts attorneys and lawyers act in a personal capacity as protector, enforcer and director (of private trust companies) for a number of discretionary trusts and are frequently instructed by blue-chip trust institutions.

With offices in more offshore jurisdictions than any other offshore law firm, Appleby’s global reach allows for a comprehensive approach to be taken by our trust and private client lawyers to ensure that clients receive tailored solutions backed by years of experience and expertise.

Recent praise of our Private Client & Trusts practice includes Chambers and Partners highlighting the fact that we “well regarded for our contentious and advisory trust work, including complex trust and foundation structuring, estate planning, and philanthropic ventures”.

Additionally, our trust litigation lawyers are adept at resolving disputes that may arise during the lifecycle of a trust, providing strategic counsel to protect a clients’ interests whether it be through alternative dispute resolution methods or through the courts.

Private Client & Trusts Services

  • Trust Dispute Resolution for Private Clients

    Our leading Trust Disputes team has been involved in most of the major trust-related cases in Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey.

  • Wealth Structuring

    With a distinct presence in the Caribbean offshore territories of Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands, together with our global network of offices in other key jurisdictions which includes the Crown Dependencies of Guernsey, the Isle of Man and Jersey, our team of offshore trust and private client lawyers provides advice on a wide range of trust and wealth structuring services.

Private client law firm

As private client and trust specialists, our multi-jurisdictional team is committed to delivering the best outcomes for our clients.

For individuals, families and their advisers, an offshore trust lawyer at Appleby can:

  • Provide counsel on international estate planning needs and offshore trust law
  • Help with difficult decisions when administering trusts
  • Assist in creating a family’s own trust company helping to build family unity, empower future generations, and bring efficiency to the administration of family trusts
  • Act for trustees, beneficiaries, settlors and protectors on all manner of claims

For businesses, an offshore trust lawyer at Appleby can:

  • Provide advice on the formation and administration of trusts and foundations for private wealth purposes
  • Offer advice on the formation and administration of commercial trusts and foundations, including those in connection with leasing and structured finance transactions

Our global presence enables us to provide comprehensive, multi-jurisdictional legal advice in the area of offshore trust law at the times most critical to our clients.

We have offices in ten highly regarded, well-regulated global locations and practise the laws of eight jurisdictions. These include the key offshore jurisdictions of Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Mauritius, and the Seychelles, as well as the international financial centres of Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Wealth planning is an increasingly global matter and our Private Client & Trusts team are continually developing our services to offer clients choice, flexibility and practical solutions. We advise clients on how to achieve the most effective solution to fit their objectives, including guiding them to the most suitable jurisdiction. The team also works closely with lawyers from our other practice areas, including Dispute Resolution for the contentious aspects of trust work.

Key Contacts

Richard Grasby

Partner: Hong Kong

T +852 2905 5780
E Email Richard

Vanessa Schrum

Partner: Bermuda

T +1 441 298 3299
E Email Vanessa

Nichola Brennan

Counsel: Jersey

T +44 (0)1534 818 144
E Email Nichola

Jeffrey Kirk

Managing Partner: BVI

T +1 284 393 5318
E Email Jeffrey

Stuart Tyler

Partner: Guernsey

T +44 (0)1481 755 606
E Email Stuart

Andrew Willins

Partner: BVI

T +1 284 393 5323
E Email Andrew

Esmond Brown

Counsel: Cayman Islands

T +1 345 814 2012
E Email Esmond

Paula Fry

Counsel: Guernsey

T +44 (0)1481 755 907
E Email Paula

Caljonah Smith

Counsel: Bermuda

T +1 441 298 0995
E Email Caljonah

Melissa Wong

Senior Associate: Isle of Man

T +44 (0)1624 647 602
E Email Melissa

Christopher Cope

Consultant: Isle of Man

T +44 (0)1624 647 633
E Email Christopher

Giles Corbin

Consultant: Jersey

T +44 (0) 1534 818 352
E Email Giles

Service Area Latest
14 Mar 2024

Bermuda trusts can offer substantial inheritance tax advantages to non-doms following UK budget announcement

The UK government has recently announced radical changes to the way in which non-domiciled individua...

26 Feb 2024

Trusts: Non-intervention in the Isle of Man

The recent Isle of Man judgment of the Staff of Government Division (SGD) in the case of A and B v C...

15 Feb 2024

Preserving wealth in a Bermuda dynastic trust

The Vanderbilt family gained prominence through shipping and railroad empires and eventually various...