STEP (the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) was founded by George Tasker in 1991 and is the international professional body for advisers who specialise in inheritance and
succession planning
Succession planning is a process and strategy for replacement planning or passing on leadership roles. It is used to identify and develop new, potential leaders who can move into leadership roles when they become vacant. Succession planning in d ...
. Its members are mainly
solicitors,
barristers,
attorneys,
accountants,
tax advisers, trust officers and trust administrators as well as
banking
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Becau ...
and
insurance
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...
professionals in the trust field.
Objectives
The main focus of the organisation is to promote high professional standards within the profession, to provide educational and networking opportunities for its members and to contribute to debate and public policy in its specialist field.
Membership
STEP has more than 100 branches and chapters in 56 countries with a current membership in excess of 20,000. It runs a number of educational programmes, from entry-level certificates to a full diploma. Accumulated credits from these qualifications and prior experience determine the level of membership. Only full STEP members can use the letters TEP after their name. The designation TEP after a member's name is the only widely recognised mark for professionals in the
trust
Trust often refers to:
* Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality
It may also refer to:
Business and law
* Trust law, a body of law under which one person holds property for the benefit of another
* Trust (bus ...
and
estate administration industry.
All STEP members are subject to a Code of Professional Conduct requiring them at all times to act with integrity and in a manner that inspires the confidence, respect and trust of their clients and of the wider community. Members are also required to keep up to date with the latest legal, technical and regulatory developments. STEP members who advise on tax matters are also required to abide by guidance in the Professional Conduct in Relation to Taxation,
which includes an obligation on STEP members to not seek results contrary to the clear intention of Parliament.
Leadership
The president of STEP was
Geoffrey Shindler OBE, who was appointed in November 2006.
He is a UK qualified
solicitor and one of the founder members of the organisation. The current Chair of STEP is Nancy Golding TEP, a practitioner based in Canada. She began her Chairmanship in January 2020.
STEP Council
References
External links
*
Legal organisations based in the United Kingdom
Wills and trusts in the United Kingdom
Solicitors
1991 establishments in the United Kingdom
Organizations established in 1991
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