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French Legal Services

Service overview

French estate planning, wills and succession advice

If you own property or other assets in France, it is important to understand how French succession law may affect your estate.
Many people assume that their UK will is sufficient to ensure their assets pass to their chosen beneficiaries. However, French succession rules can apply to French assets and, in some circumstances, may override a will-maker’s intentions. The result can be unintended outcomes for family members and significant inheritance tax liabilities.
Our specialist international succession lawyers advise clients with assets in both France and the United Kingdom, helping them structure their affairs in a way that reflects their wishes while ensuring the legal and tax implications are properly understood.

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Our services

How we can help

  • Drafting and coordinating both UK and French wills to ensure they are effective in each jurisdiction.
  • Advising on the use of Brussels IV and choice of law elections.
  • Structuring succession arrangements to reflect your wishes wherever possible.
  • Planning for tax-efficient outcomes.
  • Reviewing existing matrimonial property regimes and advising on alternative arrangements where appropriate.
  • Analysing domicile and residence under both common law and civil law principles.
  • Advising on the rights of spouses, civil partners and children.
  • Advising on succession and taxation issues affecting blended families and children from previous relationships.
  • Mitigating conflicts between legal systems through Private International Law principles.
  • Providing detailed advice on UK Inheritance Tax exposure and estate planning opportunities.
  • Explaining the French inheritance tax regime and its impact on your estate.
  • Advising on relief from double taxation under the Anglo-French Double Taxation Convention.

What to expect from us

The right legal experts, wherever you are.

Regional teams, nationally connected – we move quickly, stay close, and bring the right specialists together around you.

Our Partners take the time to understand what matters to each client and remain closely involved as work progresses. Their experience brings perspective, sound judgment and a clear sense of what may be needed next as we grow together. This continuity creates trusted relationships, keeps advice grounded in the wider context and gives clients direct access to the people responsible for guiding their most important decisions.

A relationship with us can develop as your ambitions, circumstances and priorities change, grow and evolve over the years. We bring together the right combination of legal and professional expertise from across the business, without losing the relationships and understanding already established. From our full spectrum of services for individuals and businesses alike through to our specialist services in chartered town planning, patent and trademark attorneys, tax, competition and regulatory with sector specialists across the board, you can draw on the broadest of capability while continuing to work with advisers who know what matters to you.

We believe clients shouldn't have to choose between accessibility and expertise. Our advisers are based in the communities where you live and work, providing the personal relationships and local understanding that come from being close at hand. Backed by a connected national business, you also get access to a wide range of specialist expertise.

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Get in touch and we’ll introduce you to the people best placed to advise you.

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