Our art team combines wide-ranging expertise in the financial, tax and import/export aspects of art ownership with a deep understanding of the sensitivities and peculiarities of the international art market.

 

The acquisition, ownership and sale of works of art is a highly specialised field. Whatever the circumstances, we aim to identify and deliver commercially informed, pragmatic solutions for our clients.

 

Our specialist art law practice deals with art transactions and with various related issues and disputes. These include matters relating to contract, auction, attribution, provenance, restitution, artist’s rights, cultural heritage, intellectual property, tax and estate planning, export licences, insurance, finance and collateral.

 

For legal updates and news, please contact  BACHIR & Associates

Having acted for trust corporations and trust entities for many years, our dispute resolution team has extensive expertise in trust and trust-related disputes, both onshore and offshore.

 

Trust disputes often present a very particular set of difficulties and legal issues, many of which derive from a trustee’s special responsibility as fiduciary. These may relate to how costs are dealt with, the protection of trustees from personal liability, breaches of trustees’ obligations and challenges over the administration of the trust.

 

Our client base comprises international trust companies, wealthy private clients, professional trustees and executors.

In addition to advising on contentious trust or estate matters, we also provide ongoing advice in relation to administrative risk regulation to avoid problems arising in the future.

 

Areas in which we have particular expertise include:

• Trustees’ liability for breach of trust

• Beddoes applications

• Representation of offshore trustees 

• Claims under the Inheritance 

• Disputed wills – undue influence testamentary capacity

• Court administration of a trust/settlement or directions as to their proper construction

• Removal of trustees from office

• Trustees’ costs in court proceedings

• Tax hearings before the Special Commissioners

 

For legal updates and news, please contact  BACHIR & Associates

 

Increasingly, private wealth is being made, accumulated, and invested across international boundaries and cultures. Effective estate planning is essential to ensure that both assets and dependents are adequately protected, both during life and, particularly, at the point of inheritance.

 

Our private capital team provides practical advice on all matters relating to the planning and administration of estates, wills and taxes. This includes the preparation of complex wills and other succession documents and matters such as structuring the ownership of family businesses and how to arrange the disposal of business assets.

 

We provide an efficient and comprehensive service both to executors and trustees. This includes post-death tax planning advice, settlement of contentious probate and trust issues, advice on heritage property and the handling of insolvent estates.

 

Our team also has considerable expertise with international estates, including dealing with tax authorities in the MENA COUNTRIES and internationally, and advising on matters relating to residence, domicile, and conflicts of law (private international law).

 

For legal updates and news, please contact  BACHIR & Associates

 

Family and matrimonial issues require a particular set of skills and sensitivity to help clients see clearly the choices they face and to understand both what is possible and what is desirable.

 

With our partner-led service we can advise on all aspects of family and matrimonial law, whether parties are married or cohabiting. This will include the financial implications, procedures to be followed during a separation or divorce and arrangements for the family’s children.

 

The right tactical advice can be crucial, particularly when dealing with claims of a significant value, or claims with an international element. The need to move quickly can be imperative when determining the jurisdiction in which a divorce and financial claim should be brought. We are also able, if necessary, to protect the family assets from dissipation by swift reference to the court.

 

Our approach, while always alert to the sensitivities of family relationships, is pragmatic and commercial and we are not afraid to give clear guidance and advice and to protect our client’s interests through court proceedings where necessary.

 

Issues relating to children are particularly sensitive and they increasingly have an international dimension. We work with clients to secure the best outcome, for the children and for the client. 

 

In addition to advising on relationship breakdowns, our team provides advice on forward planning asset protection, including pre and post-nuptial agreements. We are supported by lawyers in other specialist areas who advise on issues including:

• Private capital – asset management and protection, tax planning and trusts, and international private capital

• Employment

• Corporate, particularly with regard to family companies

• Real estate

• Tax

 

Examples of the work we undertake include:

• Divorce

• Financial claims on divorce

• Children’s issues (domestic/international)

• Separation agreements

• Civil partnerships

• Pre- and post- nuptial agreements

• Cross-border disputes (forum shopping)

• Mediation – all issues

 

For legal updates and news, please contact  BACHIR & Associates

 

BACHIR & Associates has a substantial international private client practice. Much of our advice focuses on the creation of suitable asset holding structures involving trusts, foundations and companies based in the offshore financial centres and also making the optimum use of onshore jurisdictions for tax treaty planning and other reasons.

 

In providing a comprehensive international service we draw on an extensive network of overseas lawyers, accountants and other advisers, and have developed close relationships with private banks, trust companies and other service providers from the world’s leading financial centres.

 

We have wide-ranging experience in managing cross-border matters and ensuring that advice from multiple jurisdictions can be integrated effectively into the delivery of the overall plan for our clients.

 

Areas on which we advise include:

• Creation and structuring of offshore and onshore trusts, companies, foundations and investment funds

• Effective use of trusts and other structures to preserve and transmit the family wealth

• Acquisition and disposal of real estate, portfolio investments, and businesses of international clients

• Multi-jurisdictional tax and estate planning

• Philanthropy, both domestic and international

 

For legal updates and news, please contact  BACHIR & Associates

We support clients in the acquisition and management of luxury assets such as yachts, light aircraft, jets.

 

The way in which ownership of these assets is structured can be critical from a variety of perspectives and often needs to be tailored to the specific circumstances of the owners.

 

We are well placed to assist clients with all aspects of the ownership of such assets to ensure an appropriate balance between commercial interests and family wealth planning. We deal with the negotiation of contracts, financing, structuring and other related matters.

 

We also coordinate international legal advice, and advise on VAT, income, flag, jurisdictional and overall regulatory issues.

 

For legal updates and news, please contact  BACHIR & Associates

 

Our residential real estate team advises domestic and international clients, ranging from individuals and businesses to trusts, on acquiring, owning and disposing of all types of residential real estate in the MENA, including agricultural properties.

 

We are also experienced in dealing with a variety of landlord and tenant matters, such as licences to alter, lease extensions and enfranchisement.

 

In addition to advising on the purchase and disposal of residential real estate, we provide a range of services relating to the acquisition and holding of real estate assets, including estate and succession considerations, tax, freehold acquisition and property development issues. We also advise clients on the acquisition and development of sites for residential and mixed-use development.

 

Our approach is both pragmatic and commercial, providing clients with advice that responds to market conditions and leads to practical solutions. Timing is often a critical factor in property deals so our partner-led teams are adept at acting swiftly and decisively where required.

 

We regularly advise private individuals on all aspects of residential real estate, but are equally comfortable offering the same level of service to onshore and offshore professional administrators.

 

For legal updates and news, please contact  BACHIR & Associates

Our experience in the fields of trusts and tax planning has been developed over many years of advising historically wealthy and landed families and, more recently, successful entrepreneurs and businesses.

 

We provide an expert service that covers all aspects of tax planning and trusts, but which is focused on delivering practical, intelligible solutions.

 

We advise on offshore structures for tax and estate planning, asset protection and co-ordination, and business expansion, both for those coming to and those leaving the MENA countries. Our clients include individual entrepreneurs, banks, trust companies and other service providers.

 

Our tax planning and trust team benefits from the wider expertise of a substantial and experienced in-house tax practice advising on all MENA COUNTRIES domestic tax matters, both corporate and individual, direct and indirect. Through our corporate tax and private capital teams, we offer clients a full and seamless service, covering everything from the initial acquisition of business assets through to the structuring and implementation of longer-term strategies for tax-efficient wealth protection and transmission.

 

Our tax planning and trust expertise includes:

• Structuring for those coming to or leaving in the MENA countries

• Structuring for foreign domiciliaries living in the MENA countries

• Cross-border structuring for business deals and personal investments

• Use of double tax treaties in tax planning

• Handling enquiries from and litigation against tax authorities

• Estate administration and succession planning, both domestically and internationally

 

For legal updates and news, please contact  BACHIR & Associates

Our personal immigration team is experienced in advising on all aspects of MENA COUNTRIES  immigration.  We provide a personalised, efficient and pragmatic approach to a wide range of clients including ultra-high net worth and high net worth individuals, their families and their businesses.

 

Our clients are keen to have the right strategy in place to enable them to move around the world whilst looking after their business affairs. They often require bespoke immigration solutions, which are time sensitive. We are able to recommend the most expeditious solution, including fast track applications. We also advise on problematic matters which require exceptional and discretionary treatment. 

 

We draw on the expertise of other groups at BACHIR & Associates to provide a wide ranging service that covers tax, family, real estate, dispute resolution, corporate and employment. We often work alongside wealth managers, family offices and other advisors and liaise with professionals such as accountants, property consultants and educational consultants in order to provide a comprehensive and holistic service.

 

For legal updates and news, please contact  BACHIR & Associates