Former Head of Wealth Planning at Kleinwort Benson returns to Farrer & Co

Farrer & Co has  re-hired Marianne Kafena, formerly Head of Wealth Planning at Kleinwort Benson.

Marianne joins Farrer & Co as a partner practising in the private client team as of 29 September 2014.

She qualified as a solicitor at Farrer & Co in 2000. Since then, she has held roles at Lombard Odier in Bermuda and London and then Kleinwort Benson in London. She has specific experience in international private client work, particularly around the establishment, management and structuring of trusts.

Marianne speaks fluent French and Arabic and will be focusing on European and Middle Eastern clients, cross-border estate planning and working with wealthy families based outside the UK and their non-UK trustees. During her time away from Farrers, Marianne has worked as a professional trustee in Bermuda and London and as a wealth planner in two private banks in London.

The changing and increasingly complex legal and regulatory environment over recent years has meant that Marianne often found herself helping international families and their trustees find practical solutions in short time frames, while maintaining a healthy sense of the complexities of private international law. This experience will add to the existing team’s range of skills.

Nick Dunnell, partner in the team said, “We are very pleased that Marianne has re-joined the firm. She brings with her significant practical experience gathered from a range of environments, which will have real benefits for our international private clients, particularly those in Europe and the Middle East.”