Governance
How families build the rules, councils and charters that hold them together — and why most borrowed templates quietly fail.
Paris appeal court hands Arnault a €22.5m tax bill over an LVMH holding structure
A French administrative court has upheld tax assessments of about €22.5m against Bernard Arnault and his wife, tied to payments from a holding structure connected to their LVMH stake. Arnault will appeal to the Conseil d'État.
A Partners Group founder is carving out his own unit inside the shared family office
Urs Wietlisbach is creating an independent investment arm within PG3 AG, the family office shared with his two co-founders since 2013. Succession planning is the stated reason.
Family governance that actually holds
Most family constitutions gather dust. What separates governance that actually holds a family together from the borrowed templates that quietly fail.
What belongs in a family charter
A family charter is only worth the behaviour it changes. What to put in one, what to leave out, and why the drafting matters less than the conversation.
Winston Taylor launches as 1,400-lawyer transatlantic firm with private wealth at its core
The merger of Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing UK went live on 1 June 2026, creating a £1.2bn firm that positions private wealth as one of four defining capabilities.
Liechtenstein rewrites its trust law. Existing structures have eighteen months to adapt.
A new Liechtenstein trust statute takes effect on 1 July 2026, requiring every private trust to appoint an information rights holder. Existing trusts must comply by 31 December 2027.
The Murdoch trust: $3.3 billion to settle what an irrevocable document was supposed to prevent
Rupert Murdoch tried to rewrite a 1999 family trust to give Lachlan sole control of News Corp and Fox. A Nevada court blocked the move. A $3.3 billion settlement followed.
Philanthropy: foundation, donor-advised fund, or direct
The vehicle is the easy part. The harder question is what the family is actually trying to change, and who decides.
What a family office actually is (and what it is for)
What a single family office really is, what it is for, and when a wealthy family actually needs one rather than a private bank or a multi-family office.
The Issa brothers split their empire. One keeps Asda, the other takes the forecourts.
Mohsin and Zuber Issa, who together bought Asda for £6.8 billion, have divided their business interests. One is stepping back; the other is eyeing a US IPO.
Family councils and meetings that work
Most family meetings are either rubber-stamping or warfare. What separates a family council that holds real decisions from one that meets, minutes and changes nothing.
The Hinduja conviction: 18-hour days, confiscated passports, and a Geneva court that acted
Four members of the Hinduja family were convicted in Geneva for exploiting domestic staff at their villa. The sentences range up to four and a half years.
What we are reading about family offices
No noise, no selling. A measured note on the advisory landscape.