‘Royds Reorganises and steps up its Family Wealth Management Department’ by Patrick Hart, Chris Hall & Stewart Wilkinson

Royds, the 17 partner City law firm, announces significant changes to its family and private client teams with the appointment of Chris Hall as private client partner and the consolidation of the family, private client and residential conveyancing teams into a single Family Wealth Management Department. The private client, family and residential conveyancing teams at Royds have a long tradition of serving the needs of high net worth individuals, large family estates, international finance institutions and business people. More recently Royds has advised a significant number of sports men and women, celebrities, and high profile entrepreneurs. Patrick Hart will head up the new Family Wealth Management Department. Patrick, a leading family solicitor, commented "Chris’ skills and international experience in off-shore trusts will be highly valued by our clients. The Royds’ philosophy of "Partners for Life" is particularly pertinent for our private clients with whom we have a track record of establishing close, long-standing professional relationships by applying our strong expertise in family and children issues, financial assets, wealth management, property transactions, international investments, tax and estate planning to safeguard their welfare".

Chris Hall Chris Hall studied history at University College London before embarking on his legal studies at the College of Law, London in 1996. He completed his training at Cartwrights in Bristol and then spent two years at BP Collins in Buckinghamshire. Between 2000 and 2003 he worked at Mercers in Henley as a solicitor in the private client department. Chris also trained with Redgrave and Pinsent – Olympic rowers – and himself rowed the Atlantic during a two month trip. Chris joined Kidd Rapinet in 2004 and then spent some time as in-house counsel at Citco Trustees advising on the day to day administration of off-shore trusts in the Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands and the Bahamas before spending a year in Ogier’s Cayman office. He returned to Kidd Rapinet in 2009 as Head of the Private Client department leading a team of five lawyers and focusing on tax planning for non-domicile resident and non-resident clients, and dealing with cross-border estates. Chris Hall says "This is an exciting time to be joining Royds. The move to link up the key private client services makes excellent sense. In terms of both planning and problem-solving, by working closely with the family and property teams I will be able to provide tax and trusts solutions which optimise our clients’ positions within those specialist areas but which also take into account their situations in the round, to give our clients the best possible outcomes". Stewart Wilkinson, Managing Partner added "Our commercial teams are well known in the City. By combining and restructuring our private client teams in these areas of family law, tax and trusts and high-end residential conveyancing, we will provide a seamless service and single point of contact which we know our clients appreciate".

For further information please contact:

Patrick Hart
Tel No. 020 7583 2222
Head of Family Wealth Management department

Chris Hall
Tel No. 020 7583 2222
Partner, Tax and Trusts

Stewart Wilkinson
Tel No. 020 7583 2222
Managing Partner

Note to Editors