Nicola Pomfret
Partner
Nicola is a trusted advisor to UK-based and international individuals, as well as to family offices and trustees across multiple jurisdictions. She provides strategic advice on wills, estate planning, trusts, and wealth structuring. Her practice is distinguished by a strong focus on cross-border estate planning, where she has considerable experience in navigating the complex interplay of international legal systems.
Nicola regularly collaborates with legal, tax, and fiduciary professionals in various jurisdictions to devise cohesive and tax-efficient succession strategies. Nicola’s work is underpinned by a nuanced understanding of the divergent approaches to probate, inheritance tax, and estate administration across common law and civil law systems. She is adept at addressing challenges such as forced heirship, matrimonial property regimes, and conflicts of law, ensuring that clients’ testamentary intentions are respected and implemented across borders.
In an increasingly globalised world, where families and their assets are often dispersed across multiple countries, Nicola provides clarity and reassurance. Her advice is tailored to the unique circumstances of each client, taking into account domicile, residence, and the location of assets, as well as the evolving international tax landscape.
Nicola also has substantial experience in the establishment, restructuring and modernisation of trust arrangements. She advises settlors, trustees, and beneficiaries on the comparative merits of different trust jurisdictions, and on the practical and fiscal implications of amending or simplifying existing structures. Her expertise includes interpreting trust instruments, advising on the scope of fiduciary powers and restrictions, and advising on the UK tax treatment of offshore trusts, including the taxation of distributions to UK-resident beneficiaries.
Clients value Nicola not only for her technical acumen but also for her pragmatic and personable approach. She works closely with colleagues across the firm’s Private Client, Tax, and Corporate teams to deliver integrated, bespoke solutions that reflect the broader objectives of each family.
