Member Article

Senior lawyer appointed to STEP board

Private client lawyer Amanda Simmonds has been elected as a director of the Board of STEP with effect from 1st January 2020. It is the first time that any one from the Yorkshire region has held this role.

Amanda is a senior associate solicitor with Yorkshire law firm Lupton Fawcett where she heads the firm’s Business Families team. She provides legal advice on all aspects of private client work including wills, trusts and estates; Lasting Powers of Attorney; Court of Protection; and personal tax planning advice particularly to families who hold interests in family run businesses.

STEP is the worldwide body for professionals helping families plan for their futures and is regarded as the gold standard for anyone undertaking private client advice. STEP members are lawyers, accountants, financial advisors and other professionals.

Amanda has been a member of the STEP Yorkshire Branch Committee for 12 years and for more than three years has been one of 10 UK practitioners on STEP’s International Council, where she has sat on the Professional Standards Committee.

Amanda has been elected a STEP board director for an initial term of two years. The Board is responsible for the strategic direction of STEP.

Amanda said: “I’ve been a member of STEP for many years and am very pleased to take on my new role of director. I look forward to contributing to the future shape and development of this highly respected, global and multi-disciplinary professional body.”

Hugh Thompson, head of private client at Lupton Fawcett, said: “We congratulate Amanda on her achievement. Many members of our private client team are members of STEP, recognising its commitment to promote high professional standards among trust and estate practitioners.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Richard Abbott .