Ashtons Legal has appointed Chris Cumberbatch to join its Lifetime Planning team in Suffolk as a senior associate.

He will be based in Bury St Edmunds but will also see clients in the firm’s Ipswich office. His arrival brings the total number in the Suffolk wide team of lawyers to 13.

Mr Cumberbatch has been a solicitor for more than 15 years and qualified as a trust and estate practitioner in 2008. His focus is on preventing disputes or unnecessary complications following death, using clear advice and documents that families can rely on in the longer term. Legitimate tax planning forms a part of this role, but it equally involves the family dynamic.

He advises a broad range of clients, from expatriates, farmers and property developers to Suffolk artists and health workers. He has an interest in planning for those looking after a disabled family member, having personal experience of trusts for the disabled.

He also speaks French and has worked for a notaire in Haute Savoie, France as well as for a French property team in a previous firm, so has expertise in handling the requirements of families with assets in Europe and further afield.

He further enhances the services that the firm can offer clients with interests in France.

Mr Cumberbatch is a trustee of ISCRE (Ipswich & Suffolk Council for Racial Equality) and the newly formed Suffolk Law Centre.

Mr Cumberbatch said: “I am very excited to join Ashtons and am looking forward to working with the team to support clients, family members, carers and members of the wider community”.