LALIVE’s Private Client practice safeguards the personal financial interests of wealthy individuals in complex Swiss and cross-border matters, both contentious and non-contentious, involving trusts and estates, succession of family businesses, family issues, relocation, philanthropy and art law.
We are trusted by high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), families, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, family offices, foundations, trust companies and fiduciary holding structures.
We not only ensure the smooth succession of key assets from one generation to the next, but also help resolve complex family disputes involving businesses and assets spread across the world. We represent clients before all the Swiss courts and routinely coordinate multi-jurisdictional court proceedings.
The firm’s team also advises HNWIs in complex administrative assistance matters, with a strong track record of favourable results. The practice is extremely active in the art world, providing advisory and dispute resolution services to UHNWIs and HNWIs, museums, foundations and art galleries worldwide.
Our expertise includes:
- Estate planning and family law services: estate and succession planning, including upon marriage and partnership, and advice on family governance and legacy matters. We are often appointed as estate executors.
- Family and succession disputes: representation in complex, separation, divorce and succession cross-border disputes involving international assets, trust structures and multi-jurisdictional litigation.
- Trust and estate disputes: support to heirs, business owners, trustees, trust executors, settlors and beneficiaries in disputes over the ownership and structuring of private wealth in litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution.
- Elderly protection and incapacity: anticipation and solutions to mitigate the adverse impact of incapacity on individuals, families and family businesses, including in the corporate context.
- Art and cultural property: advice to collectors, artists’ estates and foundations on all art-related matters, contentious and non-contentious, including estate auctions, the use of art as collateral, lending transactions, art ownership and art-related inheritance disputes.
- Philanthropy: advice to individuals, institutions and legal entities undertaking charitable activities in Switzerland and abroad, including setting up associations, foundations and charitable partnerships and supporting them in their activities.
- International assistance in tax matters: assistance in complex tax-related administrative proceedings in Switzerland, initiated at the request of foreign authorities.
- Media and protection of reputation: assistance in avoiding and navigating media crises and pro-actively managing clients’ reputation and privacy.
