Helen Stewart
Partner/Head of Probate
Specialisms and expertise
Helen brought with her to Thomson Snell & Passmore a broad range of experience which has helped her gain a true understanding of Private Client work and the needs of different types of client.
Helen has drafted Wills, Powers of Attorney and dealt with estate administration work including dealing with contentious probate matters. In addition she spent time working as a matrimonial lawyer dealing with financial claims, Children Act matters and injunctions.
Helen now concentrates on non-contentious matters dealing principally with high net worth estates involving complex tax issues. Many of her estates include multi-jurisdictional assets and farms. Helen is also involved in the Trusts and Tax team managing trusts and dealing with tax compliance aspects.
Past and present projects
- Successfully recovering for the benefit of beneficiaries of a multi-jurisdictional estate a large refund of inheritance tax in respect of foreign administrative legal costs.
- Considering, advising and implementing a strategy to save beneficiaries capital gains tax on the sale of real estate.
- Managing probates on behalf of personal representatives with a contentious element.
- Dealing with multi-million pound estates which include foreign elements.
- Obtaining Grants of Representation for the purposes of Court Proceedings.
- Undertaking estate administration work for overseas executors/ beneficiaries.
- Successfully negotiating and agreeing inheritance tax relief for farming estates.
- Dealing with the day to day management of Trusts on behalf of Trustees.
- Producing Trust Tax Returns and Inheritance Tax Chargeable Event forms.
- Winding up of Trusts and Appointing out of Trust Funds to beneficiaries.
Achievements and other appointments
Helen is the editor of YourwealthLaw, the Private Client team's newsletter and is also the team's Trainee Supervisor.
Profile
Helen qualified as a Solicitor in 1998 having obtained a Law Degree and completed the Legal Practice Course at Guildford Law School. She joined Thomson Snell & Passmore in 2001.