Creation and Administration of Trusts

Trusts have long been a feature of succession planning, providing a vehicle to carefully manage the succession of your assets. Our expert solicitors have considerable experience when it comes to setting up and administering trusts and can act as professional trustees if required.

Meet the team

How can a trust help me?

A well administered, correctly structured trust can provide a number of advantages, for example, protecting family assets or vulnerable beneficiaries, deferring children’s inheritance until a specified age, allowing you or your chosen trustees to control the distribution of assets over time, structuring the succession of your assets in a tax efficient way and/or making charitable donations.

Trusts are governed by complex tax regime and navigating this isn’t always easy, so our advisers will work with you and your other professional advisors to ensure the inheritance tax, capital gains tax and income tax implications are explained in plain, simple terms.

Whatever your circumstances and motivations, our private client solicitors will consider the range of options carefully and ensure that the right structure is put in place to meet your needs.

Our experience

Our expert knowledge of the complex and ever-changing legal and tax landscape governing trusts, combined with our approach to bespoke and client focussed solutions, enables us to advise on all aspects of the creation of trusts, the ongoing administration and ultimately, once the trusts’ purposes have been served, the winding up of settlements.

Our experience also extends to the creation and management of offshore trusts and the UK tax implications for those creating the trusts, the trustees and beneficiaries.

We also have a large dedicated trust management team who can assist with all aspects of trust compliance, including administering a significant number of trusts in house, liaising with investment managers reporting to HM Revenue & Customs and preparing trust accounts. In short, we aim to ensure that trustees are fully compliant and satisfy their trustee duties.

In particular, we can help individuals and trustees to:

  • Consider the use of trusts in the context of their wider succession and tax planning strategy
  • Create new trusts and prepare detailed letters of guidance to the trustees
  • Undertake a full review of ongoing and existing trusts and make appropriate recommendations
  • Administer the trust by acting as a professional trustee via our Trust Corporation
  • Appoint and retire trustees, including advice on indemnities
  • Deal with any trust dispute including issues with fellow trustees or beneficiaries
  • Amend the terms of any existing trusts, including dealing with the Variation of Trust claims
  • Understand the role and duties of a trustees
  • Ensure the trust is managed in a tax efficient manner
  • Bring the trust to an end
  • Consider the best means of providing for the trust beneficiaries, including the distribution or investment of trust assets and income and the making of loans, and ensuring those decisions are correctly recorded.
A guide to trusts

Services from our Private Client team

Our Private Wealth sector

For clients who have built a significant assets base, they may face a complex legal and tax landscape. Our experts from across our legal services are on hand to provide specialist legal guidance and support to help individuals, their families, trustees and family offices.

Services from our Private Wealth team

Legal updates and thought leadership

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Recognition of our work

Cambridge Law Society Private Client Services Team of the Year

Cambridge Law Society Private Client Services Team of the Year
Investors in People

Investors in People

Legal 500 2025 – Firm to Watch

Legal 500 2025 – Firm to Watch
Legal 500 2025 – Top Tier Firm

Legal 500 2025 – Top Tier Firm

Hear what our clients say about us

Very efficient, all went well.

Client testimonial

I was most impressed by Harriet. She always displayed a high degree of competence and professionalism. It was always a pleasure dealing with her and I would have no hesitation In recommending her to others

Client testimonial

Harriet and her colleague, Paris, were hugely personable and very professional in all dealings regarding re-writing our Wills. We will happily use HCR again.

Client testimonial

Beth and Leanne‘s thorough understanding of the legal intricacies and their strategic approach ensured that we were always well-informed and confident throughout the entire process. They were not only our legal representatives but also our pillars of support during this challenging time. Their compassionate and empathetic nature made us feel heard and valued, and their relentless pursuit of justice on our behalf was truly commendable. Thanks to their hard work and perseverance, we can now move forward with peace of mind and financial security. I wholeheartedly recommend Beth and Leanne to anyone in need of exceptional legal representation. They are truly outstanding professionals who go above and beyond for their clients.

Client testimonial Dispute

I cannot express enough gratitude for the exceptional service provided by Beth and Leanne at HCR Law.

Over the past two years, they have represented me, my mother, and my brother with unwavering dedication and professionalism. Their expertise and commitment were instrumental in enabling us to secure our rightful inheritance from the executor of my stepfather’s estate, who had been stalling the process.

Client testimonial Probate dispute

Your expertise and advice has been invaluable and a great service to me, and is really appreciated. I will gladly recommend you to anybody, without hesitation.

Client testimonial

Newly hired partner Lisa Millington is recommended for trusts involving landed estates.

Legal 500 2025 Private Client – Cambridge

Led by Daniel Curtis, who frequently acts for clients with foreign property or who are domiciled abroad, the practice provides ‘personal service and a knowledge base that is second to none’.

Legal 500 2025 Private Client – Cambridge

HCR Law ‘is a powerhouse for family work in the Midlands’.

Legal 500 2025 Private Client – Hereford

The Legal 500 2025 said “HCR Law’s ‘highly professional’ (Private Client) practice ‘adopts a very professional approach but manages to combine it with a personal touch which is very much in evidence with the practical advice’” and that they are “a go-to name for inheritance tax planning advice and handles trust reorganisations and administrations at a domestic and global level”.

The Legal 500 2025 Private Client

Michelle Abbott immediately made us feel at ease straight away. She is very professional, friendly and extremely helpful. Michelle guided us through the process, providing clear and easy to understand information. In preparing and completing wills, her legal knowledge and attention to detail is excellent.

It’s been a pleasure dealing with both you and your company and I would not hesitate in using your services again or recommending you to family and friends. Thank you very much for all you have done for us

Client Testimonial Will Drafting

Good, clear advice always delivered in a considerate, and often kind manner, without delay or need for chasing. A pleasure to deal with.

Client Testimonial Will Dispute

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