Katie Austin

Practice Areas

Private Client

Wealth Management

Succession Planning

Career

I qualified in January 2012 and joined Hill Dickinson’s Private Client team a year later in 2013. After promotions to Senior Associate and subsequently to Legal Director, I made Partner in 2024.

I started the STEP Diploma in 2013 completing all four exams within two years meaning I became a full STEP member in 2015.

In 2016 I completed an additional STEP Advanced Certificate in UK Tax for International Clients.

I was previously a Committee member of STEP’s Liverpool branch, holding the post of Student Liaison Officer. The current Chair is a member of our team.

I have been a non-executive director of Professional Liverpool since November 2023, a not-for-profit organisation existing to promote collaboration and knowledge sharing amongst professional services in the Liverpool City Region.

I am also a trustee of the Koala North West, a charity supporting Wirral families for whom I have volunteered since 2022.

Professional Memberships

Full Member - STEP

Member - STEP’s Business Families Special Interest Group

Member – STEP’s Cross-Border Special Interest Group

Director / Board Member - Professional Liverpool

Trustee - Koala North West

Personal

Parent of two young children

Staying fit and active for them

Still attend ballet classes at the ballet school I went to as a child!

Volunteer role – family peer support

Clients

High Net Worth individuals and their families

Owners of businesses

Senior executives

Families with multi-jurisdictional assets

Lottery winners

Work Highlights

Unlike other areas of law we cannot ‘shout about’ our clients/matters as they are completely confidential. Often where a corporate deal is published, we are working behind the scenes for the business owners on a personal level. To that end:

Advising two business owners who were receiving £60m external investment into their company. Worked on the creation of lifetime trusts to receive some shares pre-sale, tax-efficient flexible Will structuring, LPAs. Continuing advice on the establishment of Family Investment Companies and the administration of the trusts including widening the class of beneficiaries and the terms of loans out of them for property purchases.

Worked on the restructuring of a £50m family business to extract profit tax-efficiently & incorporate succession planning including use of lifetime trusts and FICs. Working on this discrete transactional Corporate matter with the client resulted in them moving their estate planning work from another firm to me and I have since worked on tax-efficient Will structuring & asset protection including prenup work for the Family team

Advising shareholder pre-Budget on settling of £5m trade co. shares into trust, advising on IHT and CGT, advising on pre-emption requirements in the Articles, liaising with corporate (offshore) shareholder to gain their express waiver due to time constraints effected by the Budget. All tax advice given in-house as client had no other tax advisor engaged. Reviewing client’s wider estate planning & advising on Will restructuring.

Advising UK resident individuals who benefit from double tax treaties in respect of estate planning and trusts.

Administering inter-linking, taxable estates of multiple individuals within the same family with assets in various jurisdictions

Detailed estate planning for philanthropic lottery-winners

Industry Sector Expertise

Wealth and estate planning for HNW families and business owners

Structuring family business ownership, corporate governance & succession plans

Personal & family taxation inc. knowledge of tax-efficient structuring

International estate planning for clients with global assets / family members in multiple jurisdictions

Philanthropy & charitable giving

In-depth knowledge of various types of trusts

Expert in these Jurisdictions

United Kingdom

Languages Spoken

English native

Degree level French

Experience

Wealth and estate planning

Taxation

Philanthropy & charitable giving

Trusts

Family business structuring & succession plans

Cross-border issues

Court of Protection

Powers of attorney

Education