Solicitor, Maria Lonergan has recently qualified as a member of the highly regarded Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) – a worldwide body which promotes high professional standards.

STEP accredited practitioners have the highest level of credibility in the Wills, Trusts & Probate arena, with the TEP benchmark being endeavoured by many. To become a TEP, practitioners must have a combination of specialist qualifications and experience, including significant involvement with planning, creation, management of and accounting for trusts and estates, executorship administration and related taxes. Practitioners must demonstrate their knowledge, passion and commitment towards their specialist line of work and are subject to an extensive 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 which is often welcomed as many areas of estate planning remain unregulated.

 As specialists in inheritance and succession planning, TEPs draft wills and trusts, administer estates, act as trustees and advise families on how best to structure their finances to ensure compliance and preserve their assets for future generations.

 Speaking of her achievement, Maria said “TEP qualification is a rigorous undertaking reflective of the intricacies surrounding the legal peculiarities of the private client. Gaining TEP status and full STEP membership should be an aspiration of all private client practitioners and it is with great pride that I am able to offer the level of specialism underpinned by the qualification for our clients in Bolton, Blackburn, the greater North West and beyond”.