Denise Li Gates

She brings clarity and empathy to emotionally charged matters, combining technical precision with a practical, client-first approach.

Denise is passionate about empowering clients to make informed decisions and is a strong advocate for collaborative, values-driven advice.  Denise leads and co-ordinates advice from other professionals and across jurisdictions as her clients need, and is a go-to to resolve complex concerns and sensitive family dynamics.

Denise advises UK-based and international clients, including high-net-worth individuals, business-owners and trustees, on:

• Succession and estate planning: Designing sophisticated Wills and lifetime arrangements to protect wealth across generations.
• Trust structuring and simplification: Establishing, restructuring, and winding up complex trust arrangements to maximise tax efficiency and reduce administrative burden.
• Tax relief optimisation: Maximising available tax reliefs through strategic planning.
• Trustee advisory and risk mitigation: Supporting trustees with governance, indemnities, and retirement planning in high-value and sensitive matters.
• Cross-border co-ordination: Collaborating with offshore counsel and advisors to deliver coherent, multi-jurisdictional solutions.

Denise excels at distilling complexity into clear, actionable advice and is known for her ability to navigate emotionally and technically challenging situations with calm authority.