Top Recommended Tax & Trust Lawyers

‘We’ve always been on the UHNW end, and we’re certainly winning more complicated mandates in lots of different jurisdictions,’ says Osborne Clarke partner Stuart Janaway.

Janaway’s momentum is built on his experience acting for an array of offshore trusts in Europe, the Channel Islands, the Caribbean and the US. He also has great visibility in the international private wealth landscape, which has been buzzing with ‘good clients and interesting matters’.

That’s not to say it’s a cloudless landscape: Janaway points to the ‘constant tinkering with the rules’ in non-dom legislation and uncertainty over Brexit. The latter ‘has been a big frustration and doesn’t put the UK in a good light’ – which may mean a potential loss of inward investment for the UK and an opportunity for neighbouring jurisdictions.

‘Quite a few jurisdictions are now introducing the equivalent of our [previous] non-domicile regime, where you could [live in the country] for 10-15 years and have a favourable tax treatment,’ he says, citing Italy and Portugal. ‘They know the value that can bring to the country in a wider context.’

The former head of private client at a US investment management firm also knows his way around immigration law, as well as ‘crucial’ financial aspects of tax law. Janaway also aims to forge a ‘solid’ relationship with HNWs: this is a highly client-centric lawyer.