For business-owning families & their advisors
Protect what you’ve built.
Plan for what comes next.
I advise business-owning families on succession, ownership and the transfer of wealth, working alongside their existing advisors.
Trinidad & Tobago · Caribbean & diaspora
A place to begin
For the people who own it.
And those who advise them.
Whether you are making decisions for your own family or advising a client, find support that connects the business, the ownership and the people.
Protect what you have built.
Prepare for what comes next.
Whether you are planning ahead or facing a difficult decision, build clarity around succession, ownership and the way your family works together.
Explore support for your familySpecialist support.
Alongside your expertise.
When family decisions hold up your client’s plans, bring specialist legal, governance and family enterprise insight into the work already underway.
Explore how we can collaborateLegal structures. Human understanding.
A plan has to work in the documents.
It also has to work for the people.
I bring legal judgement and a family enterprise perspective to succession, ownership and governance—connecting the structures you need with decisions your family can put into practice.
Meet RiaIn clients’ words
As a founder, I had a vision of building a multigenerational legacy. Ria helped me understand what I needed to do for this to become a reality.
Our father did not leave a Will and there were many issues both in the family and in the business that arose as a result. Through communication, governance and succession strategies, our family was able to come to an amicable mutual agreement.
Anonymised examples from my practice
Specialist work.
Shared progress.
Legal structures, family decisions and professional advice working together in the client’s interests.
With an accountant
A succession plan that could move forward.
A charter and phased leadership transition opened the way for ownership work. The accountant continued the financial and tax modelling and remained the family’s lead advisor.
Read the succession exampleWith an insurance agent
Connecting insurance with ownership.
Buy-sell terms were connected to policy ownership, beneficiaries and cover, with tax and valuation input from the accountant. The agent continued to lead the insurance relationship.
Read the buy-sell exampleWith a financial advisor
A structure for continuity and family provision.
A lifetime trust and complementary will created a structure for family provision, while the financial advisor continued to manage the portfolio.
Read the trust exampleRecognise your situation?
The questions behind
the bigger decisions.
Sometimes the issue is already causing tension. Sometimes you simply want to prepare well. Either is a good reason to begin.
The business still depends on you.
You want to step back. The business—and the next generation—need to be ready.
Explore this situation ↗02 / Ownership & fairnessWhen money becomes personal.
Ownership, work and family expectations need a clearer agreement.
Explore this situation ↗03 / Governance & decisionsEveryone has a view.
The business needs a decision.
Define who decides, who is accountable and how the family stays involved.
Explore this situation ↗04 / Plans & coordinationA good plan should
become a working plan.
Bring family decisions, professional advice and implementation into alignment.
Explore this situation ↗05 / Family agreementThe same disagreement
cannot be the only way forward.
Create a structured space for difficult conversations and practical decisions.
Explore this situation ↗06 / Your next chapterWhat would you like
the next chapter to be?
Plan a future that makes room for you as well as the business.
Explore this situation ↗Thinking about an unexpected change?
Explore business continuityPart of the next generation?
Explore roles & the next stageWays to work together
Thoughtful advice.
Practical structures.
A considered starting point, an agreed scope and support suited to your family’s next stage.
Succession & continuity
Prepare leadership and ownership for a transition, with a clearer future role for the founder.
Ownership & family wealth
Connect ownership, estate planning and family expectations through considered arrangements.
Governance & family agreement
Clarify roles, decision-making and how difficult issues are addressed.
A considered approach
See the whole picture.
Choose the next step.
The LEGACY DNA brings six dimensions of a family enterprise into view. It helps us identify what matters most and connect individual decisions to the wider picture.
Explore the frameworkWho can lead when you step back?
Who owns what—and what happens next?
How do you make decisions and move forward?
Are your plans becoming action?
Can you tackle difficult issues together?
What do you want for yourself and your family?
Your starting point
Know where to begin.
See how to move forward.
The right starting point depends on the decision ahead: a focused question, a wider assessment or support with implementation.
A focused consultation
Explore a particular question, understand your options and identify the next decision.
The LEGACY DNA Diagnostic
A consultation and written assessment of strengths, areas needing attention and priorities.
Explore the DiagnosticImplementation, in stages
Turn agreed priorities into practical succession, ownership or governance arrangements.
Ideas you can work with
The Seven Domains
of the Family Business.
In my book, I explore the seven moments that can reshape a family enterprise—and how families can prepare for them.
Explore the book & resourcesLet’s talk about
what comes next.
Whether you are preparing for a transition or working through a difficult decision, tell me what matters to your family. We can identify the most useful starting point.
Prefer to reflect first?
The free LEGACY DNA check offers a starting point for thinking about your family business.