Sarah K. Delacroix

Partner

Sarah K. Delacroix

Wills & Estates  ·  Trusts & Probate  ·  Wealth Preservation

Wills & Estates Discretionary Trusts Business Succession Chambers UK Ranked STEP Qualified

Biography

Sarah K. Delacroix is among London’s most trusted private client solicitors, with a 22-year practice dedicated to protecting the legacies of high-net-worth individuals, multi-generational families, and family-owned enterprises. A graduate of King’s College London (LLB, First Class Honours) — where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the King’s Law Journal — her practice encompasses complex trust and estate planning, grant of probate, contentious probate, and sophisticated charitable giving strategies.

Ranked by Chambers UK and recognised as a “Leading Individual” in The Legal 500 for Private Client: Trusts & Probate for seven consecutive years, Sarah is a full STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) member — the gold standard qualification for practitioners in this field. She brings both technical mastery and profound sensitivity to each client’s most personal wishes, specialising in multi-generational wealth transfer, inheritance tax mitigation, and business succession planning under the Inheritance Tax Act 1984.

“Every estate plan is ultimately a love letter to the people and causes that matter most. My job is to make sure it is written clearly, and that it endures.”

— Sarah K. Delacroix

Notable Record

£78M Contested Probate — Administered and resolved a bitterly contested £78M estate involving beneficiaries across four countries, navigating competing claims under English, Scottish, and French succession law to achieve final distribution within 18 months through the High Court (Chancery Division).

£200M Multi-Generational Trust — Designed and implemented a discretionary trust structure for a founding family, preserving over £200M in assets across five generations while minimising IHT exposure through Business Property Relief, Agricultural Property Relief, and deeds of variation.

£95M Business Succession — Guided the tax-optimised transfer of a £95M privately held manufacturing business from founder to second generation using family investment companies, employee ownership trust structures, and holdover relief elections, resulting in IHT savings exceeding £28M.

Will Contest Defence — £12M — Defended a £12M estate against a contentious probate claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, successfully establishing testamentary capacity and defeating undue influence allegations at a full High Court trial.

Education & Qualifications

King's College London

LLB, First Class Hons. · Law Journal Editor · 2003

University of Edinburgh

MA Economics, First Class Hons. · 2000

STEP Full Member — TEP Designation

Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners

Legal 500 Leading Individual — Private Client

Trusts & Probate · 2018 – 2025

Chambers UK Ranked — Private Client

Wills, Trusts & Probate · 2017 – Present

Qualifications & Admissions

Solicitor of England & Wales · SRA Authorised

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Years' Practice

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Estates Advised (£)

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Families Served

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Legal 500 Rankings