Our Expertise: Legacy & Heritage

A collection is not merely an accumulation of assets. It is a record of taste, conviction, and cultural identity assembled over a lifetime, often across continents, and carrying within it the intentions of the person who built it. The question that every serious collector eventually faces is not whether their collection has value, but whether that value will survive them.

A collection built over a lifetime deserves a framework built to outlast it. We advise artists, collectors, families, and institutions on the legal and financial structures that preserve and govern art, cultural property, and wealth across generations

Foundations and Trusts

A foundation or trust is not merely a legal vehicle. It is a framework that encodes a collector's vision, an artist's wishes, or a family's values into a structure that the law will uphold long after the founder is gone. We advise on the creation, structuring, and governance of foundations in ADGM and trusts in most common law jurisdictions.

Cross-Border Collection Planning

A collection can span multiple jurisdictions, such as works stored in freeport, loaned to institutions, or held under different ownership structures across different countries. We advise collectors and families on the full cross-border picture: where art is legally domiciled, how ownership structures interact with local law, what happens at death or transfer, and how to ensure that regulatory compliance, tax efficiency, and estate planning objectives are aligned across every jurisdiction where the collection exists.

Dispute Resolution

Legacy is sometimes contested. Ownership claims, authenticity disputes, provenance challenges, inheritance conflicts, and breached agreements do not disappear with time, they compound it. We represent clients in resolving disputes by seeking commercially sensible outcomes: through negotiation and mediation where possible, and through arbitration or court proceedings where necessary.

Estate Planning and Succession

Art is illiquid, emotionally charged, and frequently misunderstood by generalist advisors. This is where we add value. We advise collectors and families on succession planning tailored to the specific complexities of art-heavy estates and governance frameworks that allow a collection to pass intact rather than be dispersed under the pressure of settlement.

Philanthropy and Charitable Giving

We advise on the structuring of art donations, de-accessioning and charitable transfers across jurisdictions, ensuring the enforceability of donor intent and compliance with local tax frameworks, export regulations, and institutional requirements. For family offices and private foundations, we also develop broader philanthropic strategies that align financial and cultural objectives with long-term charitable impact.