Catherine Pugsley

Senior Partner and Head of Private Client

Catherine Pugsley is the Senior Partner of LBMW and the head of the Private Client department. Catherine has more than 27 years of experience representing International and UK based High-Net Worth individuals and their families, family offices and other financial institutions for International Cross-Border and UK personal taxation and trust issues.

Catherine has a broad practice from the UK working across Europe and the US focussing on international estate planning and succession matters, the preparation of Wills for multi-jurisdictional estates, UK tax and cross border tax and the use and implications of double tax treaties to reduce double taxation. She also advises on the UK tax implications of arrival and departure from the UK including the Foreign Income and Gains regime and the Long-Term Residence rules. Catherine advises on the creation of corporate holding and trust structures both onshore and offshore and the associated applicable tax planning. She has extensive experience dealing with vulnerable individuals, both adults and children, and frequently assists with the preparation of asset protection structures, Vulnerable Persons Trusts and Lasting Powers of Attorney. She often works with medical advisers to obtain the best outcome to protect the individual. Catherine regularly works with the Court of Protection, the Court of Probate and notaries and lawyers in other jurisdictions for the administration of cross-border estates. Catherine frequently is called to negotiate with HMRC particularly with regard to the taxation of UK assets in cross-border estates with the District Valuer. Catherine also advises philanthropists and charity trustees on charity law issues, philanthropic matters and tax efficient giving including cross border giving.

Catherine is a full member of the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners and is a TEP.

Examples of recent advisory work

for the reorganisation of family-owned assets in Switzerland, Belgium and Italy,
on negotiations with HMRC following a failed Potentially Exempt Transfer in the UK and the effect for ongoing litigation in Italy
for exit tax and planning for UK/US exit and the removal of beneficiaries from UK trust for US tax purposes
full estate planning review US/Hong Kong/UK/France and eventual removal of US beneficiaries from a Jersey/Hong Kong structure
on Agricultural Property Relief across complex, well established UK trust structures
for the creation of several asset holding structures to hold assets in different geographic locations to enable trustees of a private trust company to control the businesses after the death of the settlor and manage the long term devolution of the assets to the next generation
on an asset holding structure with a private trust company for the transparency of the structure and the protection of the underlying companies for charitable purposes
for Charity trustees on the implications of an investigation by the Charity Commission
to executors on the creation of a charity by Will as they become Charity Trustees
on the merger of two charities with similar objects
to the executors of an estate regarding the consequences of historic tax planning schemes that the deceased had entered into many years previously
on the preparation of numerous vulnerable person’s trusts to protect assets for the next generation
for a vulnerable individual on the implications of court hearings on a trust structure under challenge
for a vulnerable individual on the use of trust assets to pay for health treatment
on the variation of an estate with cross border aspects
to entrepreneur on the possibilities of moving to Italy to make the most of new tax incentives offered

Career to date

Catherine qualified in a City law firm in 1998 as a private client lawyer, she transferred to Italy with an international firm as an associate in finance and subsequently opened her own legal business in Italy advising private clients, trustees and family offices on their UK/Italy cross-border requirements. Since her return to the UK she has continued to advise both UK and international Ultra High Net worth and High Net worth individuals on their cross border affairs. Catherine speaks English and Italian. In her spare time she has two dressage horses and four Italian hare hounds (with no recall) to keep her fit and entertained!