Adrian Pilcher

A partner at ISOLAS, Adrian has a range of experience, including international corporate and trust structures, tax and estate planning, pensions and financial services. He regularly advises both professional trustees and beneficiaries on trusts matters, and often lends his services to the litigation department on technically complex trust litigation issues.

Adrian has also assisted in the establishment of a number of local charities, including the Kusuma Trust and the Arty Darch Children’s Leukaemia Foundation. Adrian also assists trading local charities in regularising their tax position.

Adrian has also developed a thriving mergers and acquisitions practice, forming part of ISOLAS’ M&A team.

Recognised as an expert in the area of trusts, Adrian has been instrumental in the development of the law in this area, having been involved in the drafting of the Private Trust Companies Act 2015, the Private Foundation Act 2017 and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2015 (Amendment) Regulations 2020, transposing the Fifth Anti-money laundering directive into Gibraltar law.

Adrian’s technical expertise in this area led to his instruction during the authorised administration of one of Gibraltar’s largest professional trustee service providers, where his brief included the transfer of trusteeship of all active trusts to alternative service providers.

He has also been instructed a number of times by international banks seeking to terminate their professional trustee services in Gibraltar for the purposes of assisting in the transfer of Gibraltar trusts to alternative jurisdictions or alternative local service providers.

Recognised as an expert in the area of pensions, he has been instrumental in the development of the law in this area, having been involved in the drafting of the Financial Services (Pensions) Regulations 2017.

Adrian is instructed by clients on a wide range of matters including the establishment and authorisation of occupational schemes for large institutional clients, pension regulation compliance matters and pension issues arising from acquisitions or mergers between large corporations.

On a day-to-day basis Adrian assists employers and pensions trustees with numerous issues, including the set-up of new (and amendments to existing) Gibraltar pension schemes. Adrian has experience with QROPS issues, particularly in light of recent developments in this area of the law in Gibraltar.

Adrian is very active in the private client and family office space, advising high-profile High Net Worth Individuals and families, locally and internationally, on a wide array of matters including wealth and succession planning and family governance. He acts as trustee to a number of private family trusts and as director of various family owned investment holding corporate entities.