Melissa Barker (née de Carvalho)

Melissa joined Birketts in 2017 and is a Senior Associate in our Private Client Advisory Team.

Melissa advises individuals, business owners, land owners, 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 UK and cross border estates, domicile and residency and their related tax implications as well as 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 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 step families, blended families and estranged families.

Melissa is a Birketts representative for IAG (International Advisory Group), a network of English speaking lawyers, accountants and tax advisors at independent practices in over 60 countries around the world. Melissa is experienced in acting for international high net worth clients and also in assisting UK clients with their affairs in foreign jurisdictions via contacts within IAG.

Melissa is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). Melissa obtained a distinction in the STEP diploma in Estates and Trusts and a distinction in the advanced STEP certificate in UK tax for international clients.

Melissa qualified as a Solicitor in September 2017. Melissa obtained a distinction in the STEP diploma in Estates and Trusts and a distinction in the advanced STEP certificate in UK tax for international clients.

Melissa can speak French to a good level and is conversational in Portuguese.