Max Wright

Max is a Partner in Rix & Kay’s Wills, Estate Planning & Trusts Team based in Brighton & Hove. He has many years experience advising individuals and their families about personal tax, estate and succession planning. He is a member of both the Society of Estate Practitioners and Solicitors for the Elderly.

Max’s clients

Max acts for clients of all ages and backgrounds but has particular expertise in guiding business owners and senior directors who want to ensure an orderly succession to their business interests, at minimal tax cost, as they start to consider stepping back from running day-to-day operations. He regularly advises business owners on ways to structure their wills to take advantage of the very generous Inheritance Tax reliefs for business assets.

Experience and approach

Max has considerable expertise in Inheritance Tax planning. He also advises on all aspects of trusts and related tax issues.  This often includes structures for property ownership where the finance has come from the Bank of Mum and Dad. He has wide experience of resolving the personal, legal and tax problems which can arise during the administration of estates.

His hands-on approach allows him to act as a personal advisor and to ensure that clients have their affairs in perfect order so that the next generation inherit at the right time for them and the family. He aims to minimise tax costs by making full use of legitimate exemptions but without entangling his clients in artificial or aggressive tax planning.

Areas of expertise

• Inheritance Tax planning
• Wills and Trusts: setting up, amending and breaking; related tax issues
• Succession planning for business owners
• Complex probate matters
• Joint property ownership arrangements
• Life policy trusts
• Capital Gains Tax and Stamp Duty Land Tax
• Powers of attorney
• Mental capacity issues
• Living wills

Max’s work

Creation of trusts before land acquires development value

Max has been involved with several cases recently where land owners transferred land to trusts for the benefit of their children before the value was increased by planning permission, thus significantly reducing the longer term impact of Inheritance Tax without triggering short term Capital Gains Tax problems.

Trust restructuring

In recent months Max has had a number of matters where he advised trustees on restructuring trusts holding valuable properties in order to meet the changing needs of the families concerned and to reduce the longer term tax impact.

What Max’s clients say

Max Wright is a member of STEP, a global professional body, with more than 21,000 members comprising lawyers, accountants, trustees and other practitioners that help families plan for their futures.

Find out more about STEP.

“Member of STEP Max Wright has extensive knowledge of capital tax planning issues, CGT, IHT, trusts and succession planning, as well as cross-border work”.

“Max Wright has in-depth knowledge of personal legal affairs helping with wills, powers of attorney and inheritance tax planning”.

Rix & Kay recognised as ‘a highly capable team of lawyers offering proactive advice’ delivered with ‘personality’

Very satisfied, Max was very helpful – thank you.

Client Review