As wealth grows in scale and complexity, traditional estate planning often becomes insufficient. High-net-worth individuals and families face challenges that extend beyond documents and transfers, requiring coordinated legal structures that address governance, asset management, tax exposure, succession, and continuity across generations.
Barnett & Hall advises individuals and families whose planning needs exceed standardized approaches. Our work focuses on the design and implementation of durable legal frameworks that support long-term stewardship, decision-making, and coordination among advisors. This includes advising on the formation and structuring of private family offices, as well as providing ongoing counsel to families who function as family offices in practice, whether formally organized or not.
Family office work is inherently interdisciplinary. We assist clients in establishing governance frameworks, ownership structures, and fiduciary arrangements that clarify roles, reduce friction, and support continuity over time. This often includes coordinating legal structures with investment, tax, and administrative advisors to ensure that planning decisions function cohesively rather than in isolation.
For families with international considerations, we advise on cross-border planning and structuring where appropriate. This may include the establishment of international trust arrangements, coordination with foreign trustees or fiduciaries, and guidance relating to lawful international banking relationships, including in jurisdictions such as Switzerland. Our approach emphasizes transparency, compliance, and alignment with applicable U.S. and foreign legal and reporting requirements.
Family office and multigenerational advisory work is not static. This work is highly customized and is typically undertaken for clients facing meaningful complexity rather than routine planning needs. Liquidity events, changes in family composition, evolving business interests, and shifts in law all require structures that can adapt without unraveling. We approach this work with a long-term perspective, helping clients build legal architecture that supports stability, flexibility, and informed decision-making across generations.
