Melissa joined Birketts in 2017 and is a Senior Associate in our Private Client Advisory Team.
Melissa advises individuals, business owners, landowners, international families, trustees and trust companies on a wide range of matters including succession and UK tax planning, wills, trust creation and trust and tax advice, planning and structures for the purchase of UK real estate, lasting powers of attorney and mental capacity.
Melissa has experience of advising trustees of long-established family settlements to meet the needs of each new generation and deal with related variations and tax events as well as advising on matters involving multiple connected trusts, misappropriation of assets and breach of trust with a view to achieving a practical solution.
Taking into account a client’s circumstances and wishes, Melissa advises on practical structures for Wills and succession planning. This includes accounting for circumstances where not all family members are involved in a family business as well as stepfamilies, blended families and estranged families.
Recent work highlights
Melissa has experience of UK and cross border estates, dealing with assets and interests in multiple legal jurisdictions with a view to streamlining, as far as possible, how they interact. Recent cases have involved assets in the United States of America, China, Jersey, Guernsey, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Melissa has advised on several disputed estates where an independent personal representative has been appointed; one of which had several associated trusts and beneficiaries living in different countries with differing tax and legal jurisdictions which complicated an already difficult personal dynamic.
Melissa has prepared Wills for high net worth business owners to mitigate tax implications.
Experience & education
2019 Full STEP membership attained (TEP)
2017 joined Birketts
2017 qualified as a Solicitor
Melissa is conversational in French and Portuguese
Areas of Expertise
Accreditations
Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)
Member
Insights
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Capital Gains Tax planning for the main home: considerations for US persons in the UKlegal updateCapital Gains Tax planning for the main home: considerations for US persons in the UK
Multiple Authors1 Feb 20245 min read652 -
In the UK longer than you planned? COVID-19 and the Statutory Residence Testlegal updateIn the UK longer than you planned? COVID-19 and the Statutory Residence Test
Melissa Barker (née de Carvalho)24 Jun 20204 min read29
