Mark Lea advises international families on their international estate planning. He is concerned to achieve what these families need and want with regard to:

• family succession
• family governance
• corporate governance
• asset protection
• avoidance of the need for Wills and Probate
• legal mitigation of taxation

He is frequently retained by families to “conduct the orchestra” of continuing advice which they need in an ever-changing world.

Mark Lea was educated in England at Eton College, where he was President of the Eton Society. He qualified as a solicitor in 1970 in London, before joining the Merchant Bank N.M. Rothschild & Sons Limited, where he worked closely with the Chairman Lord Victor Rothschild KCMG GC at a time when he was Head of the UK Government Think Tank.

Mark Lea became a Director of Rothschild’s Trust Companies and of its Guernsey Bank.

Since 1971, Mark Lea has been concerned with international estate planning and structuring and international comparative taxation. Having been a partner and then Chairman in one of the UK’s most successful provincial law firms, he moved permanently to Asia and was admitted to practice as a solicitor in Hong Kong in 1995. Mark was a founding partner of Lea & White, Solicitors, in Hong Kong. Lea & White ceased practice in Hong Kong with effect from 1st October 2024 and was replaced by Lea & White International Advisers Pte. Limited (“LWIAS”), in Singapore, of which Mark is a director. LWIAS provides similar advice to Lea & White and is fully and properly insured. Mark continues to advise families with international members and interests through LWIAS and works with carefully selected professional collaborators in selected jurisdictions around the world.

Mark Lea also advises Trust Companies on how they can best service their clients’ needs and assists them in providing documentation and structures for this.

Mark Lea was a Member of the Inland Revenue Board of Review of Hong Kong. For some 5 years he served on the executive committees of Hong Kong Trustees Association and of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (Hong Kong Branch). He has since been a member of their Joint Law Reform Committee.

Mark Lea advised the Government of Singapore with regard to the Trustees Act of Singapore. He originated the proposals for changes to the Trust Law of Hong Kong and advised on such changes. He advised the Malaysian Government on changes to the laws of Labuan, including Trust Law, Foundations Law and Limited Partnership Law. He remained an international adviser to that government for 10 years. He advised the Government of Samoa on and drafted new Trust Law, new Foundations Law and a new Trustee Companies Act for Samoa and advised on and drafted changes to other relevant laws in consequence. He has subsequently advised the Government of Samoa on its sustainability as an International Financial Centre.

Mark Lea taught a course on international estate planning, including the use of trusts and foundations, as Adjunct Professor of Law, at the National University of Singapore for 10 years from 2004 to 2014. He has taught similar courses in Samoa for the Samoa International Finance Authority between 2014 and 2023. He designed and prepared all materials of Part A Training Course and for 50% of Part B Training Course for the Hong Kong Trustees Association and taught Part A in full twice and 50% of Part B initially through the Hong Kong Securities and Investment Institute.

Mark Lea has also provided many seminars on international estate planning and has spoken at many conferences on matters concerning international estate planning. He is consistently highly ranked and awarded acknowledgement for his achievements in international estate planning.