Overview

Private capital concentrates ownership, control and decision-making in a small number of hands. Value may be held through trusts, holding companies and layered investment vehicles, often across generations.

Tax exposure, governance settings and succession timing shape what the capital is worth and who controls it.

The legal questions are structural: How is control held, and who exercises it? How is value transferred between generations without triggering tax leakage or dispute? How are operating businesses, investments and personal assets insulated from each other? How is family decision-making formalised when the founder steps back?

Thomsons advises family offices, founders, private investors and closely held enterprises on these questions. We work where the structure, the tax position and the succession plan are decided together, not in sequence.

Areas of expertise

Our experience

Torrens Capital

Advised Torrens Capital since inception 15+ years ago including the substantial roll ups and organic growth of Torrens Health.

Cohen Group

Appointed as the new legal advisers from October 1, 2025, providing comprehensive legal counsel to the Cohen Group’s Board and Management across its diverse asset portfolio including the flagship Burnside Village.

Family office governance and capital deployment

Advising family offices on governance frameworks and capital deployment across diversified investment portfolios.

Staged ownership transitions

Advising private business owners on succession planning and staged transfers of control and economic interest.

Private company acquisitions and divestments

Acting on private company acquisitions and divestments involving multi-entity trust and corporate structures.

Cross-border investment structuring

Structuring cross-border investment vehicles to manage tax exposure and intergenerational transfer objectives.

Asset protection for high-net-worth families

Designing and implementing asset protection frameworks for high-net-worth families with operating businesses and investment holdings.