Lorna Spear
- Experience
Lorna is a Partner in our Private Client Advisory Team and advises a wide range of clients including business proprietors, entrepreneurs and landowners on tax and estate succession strategies. Lorna specialises in complex estate administration for business and farming families, including those with multijurisdictional assets, heritage property and related trusts. Lorna has particular expertise in Inheritance Tax mitigation post death maximising claims for Inheritance Tax reliefs on land, property and other assets through negotiations with HM Revenue and Customs. She also advises trustees on all aspects of trust law and the administration and restructuring of family trusts to mitigate tax.
Prior to joining Birketts Lorna trained at an East Anglian firm specialising in commercial and agricultural work and worked in the highly regarded private client department of a large London City firm. Lorna was admitted as a Solicitor in January 2004.
Recent experience
- Advising a landowning family on a full restructure of the ownership of land and buildings with development potential to mitigate tax on death; creating a new partnership and dovetailed wills.
- Advising trustees of a landed estate on strategies to reduce their tax exposure to 10 year tax charges.
- Administering the estate of a landowner; advising the executors and implementing a tax saving trust structure in the deceased’s will.
- Advising trustees on heritage property issues.
- Advising a farming family on the restructure of an old agricultural tenancy to improve the inheritance tax position on death.
- Negotiating successful outcomes with HMRC in a deceased’s estate on the availability of agricultural property relief on a listed mansion and business property relief on a large property portfolio.
- Advising a company director on how to structure a gift of shares into trust to ensure Entrepreneurs Relief on a subsequent sale.
- Advising clients on succession planning relating to international assets, domicile and residence issues.
Lorna is ranked in band 1 by Chambers HNW [UK 2023]. A source in this edition notes: “Lorna is good, competent, easy to deal with, knowledgeable and great at all things. I respect her as an individual and also highly respect the legal advice she gives me.”
Lorna is also recommended and named as a ‘Leading Individual’ by Legal 500 [UK 2024].
Lorna sits on the Norfolk committee of the Country Land and Business Association.
Lorna is based at our Norwich office.
Lorna is ranked in band 1 by Chambers HNW [UK 2023]. A source in this edition notes: “Lorna is good, competent, easy to deal with, knowledgeable and great at all things. I respect her as an individual and also highly respect the legal advice she gives me.”
In the previous edition, a client notes “Lorna possesses an ability to inspire confidence in the advice she offers, which makes working with her very easy”.
Interviewees in an earlier edition remark: “She is professional, friendly and approachable, and nothing is too much trouble.” A market insider reports: “She is very nice to deal with; she is a good private client lawyer. If I had a conflict I would be very comfortable recommending Lorna, and I have done in the past.”
Lorna is recommended and named as a ‘Leading Individual’ by Legal 500 [UK 2024].
Lorna sits on the Norfolk committee of the Country Land and Business Association.
Awards and Memberships
Sectors
Lorna is good, competent, easy to deal with, knowledgeable and great at all things. I respect her as an individual and also highly respect the legal advice she gives me.
Chambers High Net Worth [UK 2023]
Insights
She is professional, friendly and approachable, and nothing is too much trouble.
Chambers HNW [UK 2021]