Mark McKeown

I specialise in advising philanthropists, with a particular focus on the legal and tax aspects of how they structure their giving. I also have significant experience in advising private clients and their families on estate planning, as well as guiding trustees and power holders of grant-giving charities and other entities (both charitable and non-charitable) in the exercise of their duties.

The work which private client and charity lawyers undertake can be complex, and clients expect technical proficiency, so working and sharing knowledge with colleagues across the firm and in wider professional networks is important. I am a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners as well as the Charity Law Association. I have also served on the boards of a number of charities. My aim is to communicate the technical aspects of my advice to clients as clearly as possible.

It gives me a great deal of satisfaction to help clients to establish frameworks for their philanthropic and estate planning objectives and then to develop strategies with them, often focusing on the most tax-efficient methods of doing so. Seeing the successful outcomes of these strategies is a very rewarding aspect of acting as a professional adviser.