David is a partner in the Private Client team and is Head of Private Client International.
He acts for a wide range of private clients, including high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals and trustees and deals with a broad range of private client trust and tax work, both onshore and offshore.
Much of David’s time is spent in advising private clients on cross-border issues, including the co-ordination of advice in a number of different jurisdictions.
David is particularly interested in the field of charities and philanthropy. He has advised a number of UK charities both national and local on a variety of legal issues, including the powers and duties of charity trustees, tax issues affecting charities and dealings with the Charity Commission and other regulators. David also has extensive experience of advising charitable donors, often in a cross-border context, in establishing and registering family charitable foundations and facilitating cross-border charitable gifts tax efficiently. He also works with colleagues in other practice areas across the firm to meet the full range of legal services which charities require.
David has lectured and written on a diverse range of legal topics affecting charities, including the changes introduced by the Charities Act 2006, the impact of the substantial donor rules on charity fundraising, the uses of US/UK dual qualified charities in cross-border planning, and developments in the European context in facilitating international charitable giving.
David joined Edwin Coe as a partner in January 2009 and became Head of Private Client International in 2023.
Expertise
Private Client
Trusts
Wills
Credentials
Recommended as a ‘leading individual’ in The Legal 500 UK 2025
Ranked as a Leading Individual for Private Wealth Law in the Chambers High Net Worth since 2018
Ranked as a ‘Leading Individual’ for Charities in Chambers UK 2021
Recommended in Citywealth leaders list since 2015
Member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners
Member of the Charity Law Association
Joint editor of the Charities chapter in Tottel’s “Revenue Law – Principles and Practice”
Contributed to “McCutcheon on Inheritance Tax”
Member of the Editorial Board of “The Journal of International Tax, Trust and Corporate Planning”
EXPERIENCE
David’s experience includes:
Wills and Estate Planning: Advising a Malaysian couple on co-ordinating their Wills and Estate Planning to cover assets in a number of jurisdictions including the UK.
Wills and Estate Planning: Advising a number of Indian and Singaporean clients on domicile issues affecting their estate planning and ensuring that their estate plans are tailored to maximise tax efficiency and asset protection.
Wills and Estate Planning: Advising international families on numerous cross-border estate planning issues involving the coordination of advice across multiple jurisdictions, including the United States.
Wills and Estate Planning:Advising a successful international couple on a comprehensive estate plan to take account of their assets in a number of different jurisdictions, and to protect the assets from claims on divorce at the level of the next generation.
Trusts and Tax: Advising a Malaysian client on trust and compliance issues in relation to their holdings of UK residential properties.
Trusts and Tax: Advising an Asian property investor on the establishment of a Private Trust Company structure.
Trusts and Tax: Advising an international ultra-high net worth family on the funding and management of multiple family trusts to support beneficiaries in a number of different European jurisdictions.
Trusts and Tax: Advising a prominent Asian businessman on the establishment of complex trust structures including for the holding of a significant international business through a private trust company structure.
Trusts and Tax: Advising international clients on the best way of structuring the ownership of high-value UK residential property, taking account of the recent tax changes affecting this area.
Trusts and Tax: Advising an international family on the establishment and ongoing administration of a significant trust involving complex UK and US tax issues.
Charities: Advising on the structuring and establishment of a major pan-African educational charity
David is a very senior and seasoned UK private client lawyer. He is phenomenally practical, really good at cutting to solutions, unflappable and one of the nicest people I have ever worked with.
Chambers High Net Worth 2025
David Goepel regularly advises clients on matters relating to estate administration, succession planning and family governance. He is well regarded for his technical expertise and work on complex matters.
Chambers High Net Worth 2025
David is a friendly and approachable person. He always provided excellent, clear and concise advice while also going above and beyond to ensure we achieve the best for our clients.
Chambers High Net Worth 2025
David is extremely cordial, very attentive and reliable.
Chambers High Net Worth 2025
David Goepel is the hidden treasure of the private client sector in London. He matches or outperforms all the other top practitioners, and without any of the arrogance that so often goes with that level of performance.
The Legal 500 UK 2025
David Goepel - a man of high intelligence, the utmost integrity and one of the most courteous solicitors in London, he will always spare the time to deal with a query and try to find a constructive way of resolving a difference.
The Legal 500 UK 2025
David Goepel is incredibly knowledgeable. I use him often in tricky matters.
The Legal 500 UK 2025
David is a hidden jewel, he really knows it all and gets on with clients. He is very practical and resolves things in a way which leaves everyone’s peace of mind intact. He is a solid individual.
Chambers High Net Worth 2024
David Goepel is measured, thoughtful, knowledgeable and thorough. He is always ready to help.
Chambers High Net Worth 2024
David is incredibly generous with his time; I can always call him and he is incredibly practical in terms of coming up with solutions. He is genuinely one of the nicest people you would ever speak to.
Chambers High Net Worth 2024
David Goepel regularly advises clients on matters relating to estate administration, succession planning and family governance. He is well regarded for his technical expertise and work on complex matters.
Chambers High Net Worth 2024
David Goepel: deep knowledge and expertise in trust matters. Solution-oriented. Good communication skills and a very agreeable person to work with. Have worked with David for the past 15 years or so.
The Legal 500 UK 2024
David Goepel stands out for his intellect and ability to navigate problems, particularly on the international side. He delivers advice in a simple and clear way, and it is always comforting to have his involvement.
The Legal 500 UK 2024
Partner David Goepel has a brain the size of a planet, an easy manner that his clients love and an even more loveable sense of humour. Senior associate Eva Moynihan is extremely capable, able to handle the most complex files and families.
The Legal 500 UK 2024
hides a steely strategic brain behind masses of charm.
The Legal 500 UK 2024
deep thinker and clear communicator.
The Legal 500 UK 2024
David Goepel – charming, erudite trusts and tax lawyer who has been around long enough not to be phased by anything. He is a pleasure to work with and rightly adored by his clients.
The Legal 500 UK 2023
I respect David Goepel for his calm and measured approach which he is able to maintain in hectic situations. It is also easy to communicate with him.
The Legal 500 UK 2023
David Goepel is one of the unsung stars in the private client firmament. The quality of his work is stratospheric, but his feet are still firmly on the ground.
The Legal 500 UK 2023
David Goepel is a really good and extremely loyal private client solicitor.
Chambers High Net Worth 2022
David Goepel is excellent technically, super with clients and a calm and effective negotiator.
The Legal 500 UK 2022
I have worked with David for over 10 years on a very regular basis. He knows his subject inside out and he is able to insource excellent advisers either internally from Edwin Coe or externally, where necessary. He is an extremely agreeable person and communicator.
The Legal 500 UK 2022
The lawyers think outside the box rather than simply reciting the law back to you. Alison Broadberry and David Goepel – they give thoughtful, insightful answers to questions rather than generic answers.
The Legal 500 UK 2022
He is an absolutely leading private client lawyer with a fantastic manner with clients. He's incredibly thorough, experienced and collaborative.
Chambers High Net Worth 2021
David Goepel is one of the absolute stars of the private client world. No trumpet-blowing, but just sheer class. He knows the technical side, inside out, but provides solutions rather than obstacles, and solutions which work.
The Legal 500 UK 2021
He is really excellent, very intelligent and really fights for his clients.
Chambers High Net Worth 2020
He is very clever, very approachable and very good with clients.
Chambers High Net Worth 2020
Charming, thoughtful and very intelligent man.
Chambers UK 2020
David Goepel is one of the most able practitioners in the sector, but operates exactly where his clients want to be - under the radar. He has a remarkable ability to build consensus and drive forward solutions, where others would fail.
The Legal 500 UK 2020