Jim Aveline

Spear’s Review

‘The wealth of our clients now dwarfs what it was 10 years ago, as do the legal and compliance challenges they face,’ says Jim Aveline, Burges Salmon partner and head of the firm's private client services department.

Aveline advises on tax, trusts, estate planning and intergenerational tax, and often delves into high-value probate cases. He observes a great deal of change in the way in which structures are now used to hold wealth – trusts, companies or partnerships are increasingly widespread. This has caused a definite shift away from complex structures likely to be challenged by HMRC. ‘Clients are reaching the point where they would rather pay the tax,’ he says.