Case Studies

Examples of our work.

Advised a Swiss software developer seeking to expand business operations in the US
Advised a dual US-Swiss resident on her investment in a South African gold mine through corporate entities
Advised an entrepreneur on moving to the UK including immigration issues, tax planning, setting up an office in the UK, acquiring UK property and establishing an offshore trust

Directed the restructuring of US real property held by a non-resident alien taxed on the Swiss lump-sum tax regime
Advised a UK resident non-domiciled business owner on settling assets into an offshore trust
Advised non-UK residents on tax efficient structures for investing in UK residential and commercial property

Reviewed all aspects of a client’s structure to advise the client on all reporting for US-connected persons

Advised client on CRS reporting to be done for their structure
Prepared and updated FATCA and CRS compliance tools for a third-party service provider

Advised on the estate tax/ income tax aspects of an Artist’s Foundation, to ensure that the artist’s US beneficiaries would benefit in a tax-efficient manner
Advised on the risk exposure a collector faced in opting to sell his collection in various locations, including New York and London. We proposed a strategy for mitigating that risk in the US and in the UK
Our clients needed a collection management strategy for their extensive art collection held on trust, which was spread out between storage in Switzerland, homes in other countries and iconic museums. We worked with the client to ensure a strategy which reflected the wishes of the Settlor and the other beneficiaries

On behalf of a client family, we negotiated loans of high-quality artworks to iconic museums and developed a sales strategy to maximise returns, ensuring a robust marketing strategy and a competitive auction process in locations throughout Europe
Our clients were planning to loan a number of art works to museums and wanted to ensure that their paintings were protected from claims by third parties while on loan. We determined that the museums were not considered “approved institutions” under legislation and therefore could not provide guarantees that works on loan would not be seized. We then advised the museums to take steps to become approved institutions so that our clients could loan artworks
Our client displayed artworks owned by a trust at their home. We strategised on the beneficiary’s reporting obligations [ as well as reviewing any reporting obligations of the Trustees of the art trust] and any declarations to be made to tax authorities in relation to artworks on loan to them.

Working in tandem with several different clients, with both US and ex-US persons, we developed succession strategies. Those strategies were mindful of the clients’ obligations in their countries of residence (in both common law and civil law jurisdictions) from a taxation and an inheritance law perspective but also delivered on their legacy wishes in a tax-efficient manner

Advised an ultra-high net worth Middle Eastern family on establishing a trust structure and putting in place Wills to deal with succession to assets in multiple jurisdictions
Advised UK citizens and other non-Swiss nationals resident in Switzerland on their inheritance tax position and cross-border estate planning

Advised clients on the establishment of Private Trust Companies (PTC) in a number of jurisdictions globally

Shepherded clients through the defining characteristics of PTC’s to ensure that the client’s choice of a PTC as trustee for their structure was an informed one, characterised by a sound understanding of the operation, benefit, and limitations of PTC’s

In consultation with the client, developed a strategy to address the key issues of concern for a single family office, including structure, taxation, governance etc.

Assisted in a review of a family office structure which included proposing a simpler structure which maintained its effectiveness

We are regularly called upon to strategically assess the appropriateness of structures put in place by clients at various moments in time.
In such cases, we assess and review key aspects of a structure and report back on its suitability for the particular client, taking account of their residence and the applicable regulations

Secured permanent residency in the United States for countless senior executives in the banking and finance industry in Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, India, and throughout the world seeking to invest in U.S. businesses and create jobs for U.S. workers.
Assisted Swiss investors purchasing small businesses in the United States to establish their new companies and reside in the United States on the E-2 Treaty Investor visa.
Led efforts for myriad solo entrepreneurs, small/mid size companies, as well as billion dollar multinational organizations to establish new operations in the United States and successfully receive employment authorization and documentation for principals and employees to work and reside in the United States.

Bringing extended families together from Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and North America through creative family-based and employment-based solutions that provide immigration benefits.
Immigration counsel for multinational firm in SE Asia expanding operations in North America.
Worked with Pakistani investor seeking to invest in the United States by establishing and owning a food-truck business in Chicago.