Gavin is a Partner in our Agriculture and Landed Estates team and advises on all aspects of non-contentious work for private clients. He has a particular focus on strategic advice for landowners, agricultural and farming clients, to include inheritance tax and succession planning, Wills, partnership agreements and trusts.
Gavin graduated from University College London in 2007 and qualified as a solicitor in 2011. He worked at firms in London, Cheltenham and Bath well-known for their Private Client expertise before joining Wansbroughs as a Partner at the beginning of 2025.
Gavin is a full member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) enabling him to use the designation ‘TEP’ which is seen as a mark of distinction in the profession.
Gavin is a recommended lawyer in The Legal 500 which is a guide to leading law firms in the UK. The 2025 edition states that “Gavin Smith is excellent. He is responsive and has good knowledge of the practice area.”
Recent experience:
- Advising on the use of trusts and gifts into trusts of both company shares and, separately, land qualifying for agricultural property relief as part of wider succession planning. Providing related inheritance tax and capital gains tax advice.
- Preparation of a partnership agreement with separate land capital accounts for a farming family spanning three generations, with a view to maximising inheritance tax reliefs.
- Preparation of tax-efficient Wills for a couple, both of whom had children from previous relationships, and Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs), to include business LPAs to deal with their business interests as distinct from personal assets.
