The wealth and investment arm of Barclays, the UK-listed bank, has appointed Stephen Liss and Alpa Patel as directors in the New York and San Francisco offices.

In these newly created roles, Patel and Liss will advise high net worth clients and related entities on domestic and international wealth structuring, multi-generational estate planning, wealth preservation strategies, and planned charitable giving, Barclays said in a statement.

Liss joins a New York-based team which includes Anthony Ruscigno, director, and Kristen Rode, assistant vice president. Patel, meanwhile, will be based in the San Francisco office and will serve clients in the West Coast and Texas regions. Both will report to Chris Johnson, director.

Liss was previously a partner at the international law firm Withers Bergman, where he worked for 11 years.  Liss has been admitted to practice law in New York State, Connecticut and the United States Tax Court. He is also a member of the American Bar Association (Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section), the Connecticut Bar Association, and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

Patel brings 18 years of experience advising corporate executives and high net worth individuals on a range of wealth planning matters. Most recently, she served as the West Coast head for the wealth planning group at Credit Suisse. Prior to joining Credit Suisse, she practiced law for Bronson, Bronson & McKinnon and later with Bryan, Hinshaw & Barnet. She started her legal career with the US Securities and Exchange Commission's enforcement division.