Suzanne Johnston

Awards and recognition

"The star individual is Suzanne Johnston who leads the private wealth team. Highly knowledgeable, responsive and pragmatic, she advises from an insider's perspective having been in-house at a major private bank previously. An intelligent lawyer, Suzanne is able to translate complex legal concepts in a language that non-lawyers can easily understand."

The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2025, Leading Partner - Private Wealth & Family Law

"She is good at thinking ahead and getting us to look at things we might have missed. There's a real value add there. I love her manner and sensitivity to difficult questions as well."

"Suzanne is a seasoned practitioner and brings lots of in-house and law firm experience. Not only is she reliable in terms of the law, she also understands the technical issues from banks' perspective."

Chambers HNW 2025, Leading Individual - Private Wealth

The A-List 2025: Singapore's top 100 lawyers
Asia Business Law Journal

"Awarded for their unparalleled expertise and commitment, the winning firm has set a new standard in the wealth management industry by prioritising the needs and aspirations of the next generation."

WealthBriefingAsia 2025, Next-Gen Programme - Private Wealth team

Client Choice – Private Client award
Lexology, Global Elite Thought Leaders 2024

Biography

Language - English
Jurisdiction - England & Wales

As a highly ranked international private wealth lawyer specialising in succession and estate planning with UK tax expertise, Suzanne places clients at the heart of all she does, ensuring their needs and goals guide every decision and strategy.

For individuals and families, Suzanne provides guidance in crafting wills, trust structures, family offices and family constitutions, ensuring their estate plans align with their values and future aspirations. Suzanne supports institutional clients by offering strategic advice on legal and business risks; navigating complex issues, including potentially litigious trust matters, regulatory challenges, and UK tax intricacies. By working together with her clients, Suzanne tailors' solutions to arrive at outcomes aligned with her clients' ambitions and objectives.

Suzanne provides clients with commercial, practical, and jargon-free advice, ensuring clarity and confidence in their decision making. She guides clients through the process of setting up a trust, from trustee selection, to choosing private banks and external asset managers, offering support and expertise at each step. For Suzanne, fit matters, and she is committed to nurturing long-term relationships as a trusted legal advisor, ensuring clients feel fully supported and comfortable in navigating increasingly complex legal landscapes.

Within the firm, Suzanne is a sponsor of the female career progression programme. Following a prolonged battle with infertility and baby loss, Suzanne was sponsoring partner for the firm's groundbreaking infertility and baby loss policies. She is a certified Mental Health First Aider and acts as a touch point for colleagues facing mental health challenges. Outside of work, she is a mother to two young children and is committed to raising awareness of the juggle many working parents face.

Suzanne is ranked as a Leading Partner in The Legal 500 and listed in the top 100 lawyers in Singapore by Asia Business Law Journal.

Experience

Advice to multi-generational Indian business owning family on succession planning

Formation of private trust company, multiple family trusts and variable capital company, including CMS license application to successfully devolve family wealth. Coordinated advice on complex cross-border issues involving the US, Belgium, Dubai, India, and Singapore.
Advice to Indonesian conglomerate on formation of charitable structure

Formation of bespoke charitable purpose trust. Advice on governance and best practice for the donor-led charity.
UK tax advice provided to bank owned trustee in relation to complex structuring

Successfully navigated complex trust and UK tax related issues to arrive at a risk based solution for a professional trustee owning UK residential property.

Advice to ultra high net worth Thai client on wealth transition

Assisted a wealthy Thai entrepreneur in his estate and succession planning. Guiding the client in trustee selection, drafting the trust documents and formulating the letter of wishes, including coordinating with local counsel on wills and broader structuring for worldwide assets.
Cross-border succession planning for Singapore based family

Worked alongside a wealthy Singapore tax resident family to create multiple structures for children in the US and the UK. Assisted in the trustee selection process, trust deed drafting and letter of wishes preparation. Created wills with complex default provisions and prepared lasting powers of attorney with bespoke terms.
Advice to large international trustee on best practice for regulatory compliance

Advice to an international trust company on regulatory compliance in multiple jurisdictions. Practical advice on how best to arrange the trust company's compliance function so as to ensure it was compliant with the various regulations. Involved coordinating complex cross-border advice in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Advice in connection with life insurance policies and how to structure bank owned offering

Advice to a private bank and broker on the regulatory and UK tax implications of life insurance policies. Including a review of structuring options.