We are delighted to announce that Katie Martin has been awarded the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Student of the Year award for achieving the highest mark out of all students who sat the Taxation of Trusts & Estates paper in England and Wales in 2013.

Katie, who has recently been awarded a Distinction for her overall performance in obtaining the STEP Diploma in Trusts and Estates (England and Wales), will be presented with her award at the STEP Excellence Awards lunch on 4th June.

STEP is a worldwide professional body for private client practitioners whose main focus is on the professional development of its members, promoting knowledge and expertise in the private client field.  Twenty of Hunters’ partners and other professional staff are either full, student or affiliate members of STEP.

All STEP members are subject to a stringent code of Professional Conduct in carrying out work for clients, including a new Code for Will Preparation in England & Wales which is to apply to all STEP members who write Wills from April 2014.  As Will-writing is an unregulated activity in England and Wales the Code for Will Preparation lays out a set of ethical principles that demonstrate the standard of transparency and service a client can expect from a STEP member when preparing his or her Will.  The Code aims to provide clients with confidence that STEP members operate to the highest professional competencies and to the highest possible ethical standards.

If you would like more detailed advice on writing a Will or estate planning, please contact the partner at Hunters having responsibility for your legal matters, or (for new enquiries) please contact a member of our Private Client team.