FAMILY OFFICE
Some of our clients are family groupings who have complex financial affairs which require a significant degree of administration and support. It is common for such clients to manage their affairs using a family office. In practice, many of the private client services which Rawlinson & Hunter offers are delivered via the family office, so we are experienced in liaising both with the office personnel and with other professionals involved with the client, whether lawyers, bankers, investment managers or others. This has led to an enhanced understanding of the family office, how it operates and what it needs, putting us in a prime position not just to advise the family office in a range of different ways but also to advise the clients on the structure and operation of the family office itself.
For instance, we can advise on the establishment of a family office in order to centralise administration, streamline decision making and enable the family to run its affairs along business lines. We can assist in deciding on appropriate governance of the office. Indeed, partners of Rawlinson & Hunter sometimes sit on the family council or advisory group. We tend to take a pragmatic approach, designing a structure and processes which will operate smoothly.
Once the office is operational, the Firm can deliver a wide range of private client services to the family via the family office. We can provide cash flow forecasting ahead of a purchase and provide financial material for a fee negotiation. We can assist with the selection processes for new service providers and provide full support on IT and HR matters. We can monitor projects and steer them towards the required end result, track costs and assess delivery against a service agreement. We can assist with the financial education of the next generation of the family and liaise with other professional advisers. We are also fortunate to be in a position where our clients trust us to see the full picture. Where a client chooses not to have a family office, there are also a number of services which the Firm can offer which are of a nature which a family office would provide.
Our experience is such that we can advise on the establishment of the client’s family offices, support the family office with a multiplicity of services and even act as the client’s family office.
More information on this service is available here