Katherine Neal

Private Wealth

Trusts

Katherine Neal is Head of Trusts & Private Wealth in Jersey. She advises trustees, ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, private banks, and fiduciaries on all aspects of international trusts and estate planning, with a particular focus on complex, cross-border structures. She brings over 20 years of experience advising on both contentious and non-contentious matters involving private wealth, employee incentives, offshore pensions, and philanthropic vehicles.

Katherine has a recognised track record in structuring and restructuring high-value trusts and foundations, and regularly advises on the creation and governance of private trust companies, purpose trusts, and family succession arrangements, including those with Sharia considerations. Her practice is international in scope, with significant exposure to clients and intermediaries across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Before joining Harneys in 2025, Katherine held senior positions in leading offshore and onshore law firms. Most recently, she served as Head of Employee Incentives within the Private Wealth team at another offshore law firm in Jersey. She previously practised as a partner at Harvey Ingram Shakespeare and started her career at Pemberton Greenish in London.

Katherine plays an active role in shaping private client law and policy in Jersey and internationally. She is a member of the International Pension and Employee Benefit Lawyers Association (IPEBLA) and a member of the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS). Katherine is also a contributor to legal publications, a regular speaker at international conferences, and a participant in Jersey’s charities legislation working group.

Katherine is a member of the International Pension and Employee Benefit Association Lawyers (IPEBLA), the Association of Contentious Trusts and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS), the working party for charities legislation in Jersey and until leaving the UK in 2012 was the Vice Chair of the Law Society of England and Wales Private Client Section.