Biography
Helen is a leading private wealth partner specialising in bespoke tax planning and structuring for entrepreneurial wealth creators, business owner, senior executives and affluent individuals.
Her main area of focus is intricate tax and strategic personal estate and tax planning for wealth creators such as private equity investors and serial entrepreneurs and business owner managers.
She has significant experience advising close company participators on structuring and re-structuring to maximise tax efficiency for their company and themselves and their family.
She works alongside founders to ensure that their business interests are structured tax efficiently from the outset for personal tax efficiency and advises throughout the evolution of the business including planning in advance of sale and post-sale.
Helen also frequently advises and creates family investment companies for controlled succession planning.
Helen has particular expertise in capital gains tax, income tax and inheritance tax alongside corporate taxes on restructuring private company shareholdings.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your role?
It’s rewarding to ensure that hard earned assets are protected and structured to allow inter-generational wealth to be maintained.
The personal element of my role is very rewarding. I’ve built long standing relationships across multiple generations with individuals and their families and I provide support in what is often a stressful, emotional or difficult time.
What do you do away from the office?
I’m a proud mother of three children. I enjoy current affairs, taking advantage of the capital’s thriving cultural experiences, park runs and getting out and about with my dog.
Testimonials
"An extremely accomplished and experienced practitioner in tax trusts and estates. She gets to the heart of the issue and provides sound advice to her international client base of UHNW. Really refreshing to see Helen developing the practice and getting the recognition she truly deserves." - Legal 500, 2023
"Helen Clarke is an excellent technician, very personable and always tries to go above and beyond." – Legal 500, 2021
The firm regularly advises high net worth clients in London and also has a significant presence nationally. A private wealth source notes that the firm is "excellent." - Chambers & Partners, 2021
Publications
I have contributed to the Law Society's new Inheritance Tax Planning Handbook (chapters on Alternative Structuring Vehicles and Lifetime Planning Options for Businesses). The handbook is edited by Irwin Mitchell's John Bunker, with contributions from colleagues across our Tax, Trusts and Estates, Corporate, and Wealth Management teams.
