Family Office Feature: In Conversation with Camille Tassi

29 August 2025

In conversation with Camille Tassi, Private Wealth Lawyer – Taylor Wessing – Senior Associate, our UK Director, Robert Moore, discusses how today’s advisers are moving beyond their expertise in a distinct area of law to deliver proactive, cross-border solutions that meet the complex needs of internationally mobile families.

How do you see your role evolving compared to previous generations of wealth lawyers?

Our role has fundamentally shifted – clients today are no longer looking for answers to standalone questions.

Clients want their advisers to be proactive, to anticipate issues that may arise and the questions that will need to be addressed, identify the options to be explored and provide comprehensive solutions.
Camille TassiPrivate Wealth Lawyer – Taylor Wessing – Senior Associate

To achieve this, it is increasingly important for us to know and understand our clients on a deeper level, beyond what’s needed to just solve the immediate legal issue at hand, to ensure we can consider the broader implications for the family’s wealth and business interests.

Greater access to information and technology means our clients are increasingly well-informed, but at the same time their affairs and asset bases have become increasingly complex. To meet our clients’ needs, our role has evolved beyond simply being experts in a distinct area of law and has broadened into that of a ‘private wealth’ adviser who coordinates and provides holistic cross-border advice, encompassing various legal and advisory services, to meet clients’ long-term objectives.

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How is technology reshaping the way you practice private wealth law?

New technologies present tremendous opportunities for the way we work with clients. We’re seeing real benefits from streamlining onboarding processes, automating document production, and using artificial intelligence (AI) to conduct large-scale due diligence reviews more efficiently. Looking ahead, blockchain technology offers exciting possibilities for smart contracts, automated compliance reporting, trust administration and interaction with beneficiaries and creating immutable records of family archives, trust deeds and governance documents.

While technology may soon be able to provide technically correct answers to specific questions, a core facet of our role is the irreplaceable value provided by experienced private wealth lawyers in analysing what the technical answers actually mean for our clients. Looking at the legal position in the context of families’ wider wealth structures, individual circumstances and dynamics, risk tolerance, objectives and the interplay with other jurisdictions and tax regimes. There will also be a real challenge in ensuring shortcuts aren’t taken which compromise the core technical legal training which our junior lawyers need to develop.

Equally important is recognising that our clients are tech-savvy and expect us to leverage technology to provide a seamless client experience.

Meeting their expectations means we must invest in our technology behind the scenes, while maintaining the personal, high-touch service they demand, essentially using tech to enhance rather than replace the human expertise that remains at the heart of what we do.
Camille TassiPrivate Wealth Lawyer – Taylor Wessing – Senior Associate

With clients becoming increasingly internationally mobile, what challenges and opportunities does this global perspective create for private wealth lawyers?

Today, clients simply don’t see borders as barriers. We support internationally mobile families, so we’re not just putting structures in place or providing solutions that work in the UK, so we’re not just putting structures in place or providing solutions that work in the UK but creating truly global strategies for our clients. We have access to a much broader range of entities, structuring options and expertise than we would have done in the past. Our role often includes being the central point of control, using our expertise to ensure structures and arrangements are suitable across multiple jurisdictions and that the advice clients are receiving is taking account of all relevant issues, business and personal.

While we might not be qualified to give advice in every jurisdiction, we need a true appreciation of how different regimes work, to be able to thoughtfully discuss options with clients and coordinate effectively with local counsel.

Our professional networks are essential; we must be exceptionally well-connected with trusted advisers worldwide who can help us service our clients' global needs.
Camille TassiPrivate Wealth Lawyer – Taylor Wessing – Senior Associate

What trends are you seeing in client needs and priorities, and how is this changing the nature of your advisory work?

There’s been a noticeable shift towards a family office-style service. While I may be a private client lawyer by training, clients increasingly look to us as their outsourced or extended family office. We’re rarely just asked to draft a simple document anymore, clients expect advice in the round that addresses all their legal needs comprehensively, often coordinating and pulling in different experts from across the firm or our intermediary network to provide integrated solutions.

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Casual conversation in front of a modern office building.

A growing proportion of our work relates to the ‘Great Wealth Transfer’; comprehensive planning for transitioning wealth and family businesses to the next generation.

We work with matriarchs and patriarchs to understand their vision and support them in divesting ownership and control in a way that works for them, managing key-person risk and maintaining cohesion between family branches whilst protecting against fragmentation. Our work also involves engaging with younger generations, introducing them to the family business, recognising their priorities and approach, providing legal expertise in their areas of focus and advising on structuring solutions for clients with exposure to newer asset classes and emerging themes. While a patriarch might focus on tax efficiency and asset protection, his son might prioritise ESG investing and philanthropy, and his daughter might want to invest in cryptocurrency and tech ventures in the energy transition sector – we need to accommodate all these priorities within a single family framework.

This trend doesn’t just see us advising on legal infrastructure – but also includes a key family governance component where we work to understand family objectives and principles, using tools such as family constitutions to help build sustainable multi-generational wealth structures that serve and protect the family’s long-term interests, as those interests and the families themselves evolve.

What must law firms do now to remain competitive and relevant in serving the next generation of UHNW clients?

The fundamentals remain unchanged; technical expertise and excellent client service are expected. What distinguishes top private wealth lawyers today is the depth of client understanding. Our competitive edge comes from knowing our clients, understanding their businesses, family circumstances and core values. The more familiar we are with the whole picture, the better we can anticipate their needs, identify where issues may arise and provide solutions, and the more valuable and relevant we become.

This understanding must extend beyond individual client circumstances to encompass the broader private wealth ecosystem and global market dynamics, as our increasingly interconnected world presents challenges that are more complex and far-reaching than ever before. The rapid pace of regulatory change across multiple jurisdictions demands that our advice integrates seamlessly with other critical areas within which our clients operate, from sector-specific regulations to cross-border compliance requirements.

Equally important is successfully managing the generational transition itself. We must demonstrate that our primary interest lies in serving the whole family’s future, not just maintaining existing relationships and being seen as the older generation’s advisers. We must engage with younger family members on their terms and earn their trust. This is where the next generation of private wealth lawyers is invaluable. The role will not just be one of facilitating the transfer of wealth but also securing the transfer of trusted advisory relationships from senior lawyers to the next generation of legal advisers who can authentically connect with and serve tomorrow’s wealth holders.

What role does technology play in the professionalisation of family offices, particularly in compliance and risk management?

Technology plays a pivotal role in the professionalisation of family offices by enhancing efficiency, transparency and security. Advanced software solutions facilitate real-time reporting, data analytics and risk assessment, enabling family offices to make informed decisions.

We’re seeing family offices move towards purchasing high-end cyber security solutions (that were typically reserved for conglomerates or multinational corporations) to protect their data as well as pay for subscriptions to help them track regulatory changes and ensure adherence to legal requirements in the many jurisdictions where the asset base is located. These can be significant investments but are increasingly seen by family offices as essential for their safe and proper functioning.

Robert MooreDirector – UK, Jersey Finance

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Camille TassiPrivate Wealth Lawyer – Taylor Wessing – Senior Associate

Camille is a Senior Associate in the Private Wealth group at Taylor Wessing and acts for UHNW individuals, families, trustees and family offices. She specialises in cross-border estate and tax planning for domestic and international clients and advises her clients on a wide range of matters, including UK taxation, succession planning and global asset and wealth structuring (including the establishment and administration of trusts and other family wealth structures).