James advises individuals and their families on tax, succession and estate planning issues.
Much of his work is focused on UK resident and domiciled families interested in the long term preservation of inter-generational wealth. He helps with the mitigation of capital taxes through the use of suitable lifetime gifting strategies and the creation of Trusts and other asset structures. James also advises on the preparation of Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney.
He has a strong international practice advising non-UK domiciled individuals on UK tax issues impacting them such as pre-UK arrival planning, the remittance basis of taxation, the ownership of UK real estate and the use of Excluded Property Trusts. James regularly advises the trustees of offshore trusts on the UK tax implications of having beneficiaries based in the UK.
James has a specialist practice in US/UK estate planning. Typically, clients will be US citizens living in the UK (but they can also be US citizens living in the US with other connections to the UK such as property ownership or children in the UK). He also works with US qualified professionals to provide cross-border transatlantic estate plans mitigating taxes in both jurisdictions.
Experience
Examples of experience include advising:
- A farming family on succession and tax issues associated with a plot of land owned since 1990 subject to an Option Agreement for the development of 300 houses
- Various US based individuals on the use of US Revocable Trusts holding their worldwide assets and implementing various changes to their estate plans in order to protect the UK tax position
- Indian domiciled clients on the terms of the UK/India double tax treaty and preparing Wills and domicile statements that protect their non-UK assets from UK Inheritance Tax notwithstanding that they have been living in the UK for nearly 20 years
- The trustees of an offshore Trust on the tax implications of owning valuable UK residential properties in London and implementing various changes to the structure to take into account recent amendments to UK tax law
- Assisting various US citizens living in the UK on the preparation of appropriate Wills that take into account their exposure to US/UK taxes and the presence of assets in both jurisdictions.
He is "always endeavouring to provide superb client service and pragmatic, commercial and cost-efficient solutions for clients."
"Exceptional knowledge and experience in handling complex private client matters."
Chambers High Net Worth 2022
"Able to adapt to different generations of the family with different levels of knowledge. He is quick to respond and does what he promises, which makes difficult times considerably easier to get through."
Chambers and Partners 2021
"Listened carefully to our priorities and concerns and explained our options with clarity and patience."
Chambers and Partners 2021
"Reliable, knowledgeable and a pleasure to deal with."
"He also takes a refreshingly pragmatic approach to solving complex client issues, always delivering practical solutions expediently."
Chambers High Net Worth 2021
“James Radcliffe is especially experienced in advising clients with connections to the USA”.
Legal 500 2019
