Partner Article

Solicitor is a STEP ahead with new diploma

A solicitor from a Newcastle firm is stepping up after achieving membership within an internationally renowned society.

Alexandra Bartrope of Clarke Mairs LLP has passed The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Diploma in Trusts and Estates (England and Wales), which in turn has qualified her to become a full member of the society.

STEP is the leading worldwide professional body for practitioners in the fields of trusts, estates and related issues. Members assist families in planning their long term financial future, and help families to comply with the often complex tax rules surrounding trusts, estates and inheritance.

Full members of STEP are the most experienced and senior practitioners in the field. Alexandra first became a student member of STEP before studying to pass the Diploma in order to apply to become a full member. She sat four exams in Administration of Estates, Administration of Trusts, Trust and Estate Accounting, and Taxation of Trusts and Estates. Each of the four modules, run by CLT International, involved six months of intensive home study.

Since joining Clarke Mairs two years ago to launch a Private Client department, Alexandra has grown her case load through a combination of internal and external referrals, aided by building an extensive network of relationships with professional advisors. Through her efforts, Alexandra now has a wide range of work which includes providing lifetime planning advice on issues such as inheritance tax and long term care planning to full Estate Administration and acting as a Trustee.

Prior to joining Clarke Mairs, Alexandra worked for a local legal 500 firm for almost nine years, after studying a four-year LLB Law course at Northumbria University.

Alexandra said: “I wanted to complete the STEP Diploma because it provides a recognised professional qualification for those working in the world of Wills, Trusts and Estates, to set them apart from others who practice in this field.

“The Law Society has recently described plans by the Legal Services Board to make will writing and estate administration services reserved activities, as a major boost for people seeking to instruct professionals in this area of work, and I could not agree more.

“The Law Society’s dedicated campaign on this issue has been motivated by the absence of regulation for non-Solicitor will writing and estate administration services, and the damage that the absence of such protection can have on the public.

“I hope that being a solicitor and a full member of STEP will provide confidence to clients that they are getting the best legal service they need in this area of law from the right person.”

Tim Clarke, partner at Clarke Mairs, said: “We are delighted that Alexandra has successfully become a full member of STEP. Since joining us, Alex has been instrumental in the growth of our Private Client department, and this STEP achievement further cements her wealth of expertise in this field.”

Clarke Mairs offers legal services to businesses and individuals nationwide with services including commercial property, insolvency, company and employment.

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