Spear's Review

One of the few private client lawyers who can advise on Italian as well as UK issues –and bilingually as well – Beatrice Puoti of Stephenson Harwood is known as the go-to lawyer for HNWs with southern European interests.

She also specialises in cross-border estate planning issues, with a particular focus on all issues arising from Roman law and Common Law application. ‘It’s like having a massive puzzle and trying to make it all fit,’ she says. ‘I understand both sides of the coin so I can put together something that is solid and tax-efficient, and will withstand scrutiny from either country.’

She is hugely popular within the industry, with one peer reporting that introducing clients to her was ‘rather like watching someone join a cult’.