STEP is a global professional body, comprising lawyers, accountants, trustees and other practitioners that help families plan for their futures.
STEP’s mission is to inspire confidence in families planning their assets across generations by setting and upholding high professional standards, informing public policy, promoting education, and connecting practitioners globally to share knowledge and best practice.
Full STEP members, known as TEPs, are internationally recognised as experts in their field, with proven qualifications and experience.
What is a ‘TEP’?
‘TEP’ stands for ‘Trust and Estate Practitioner’, and is the designation given to full members of STEP. To become a TEP, practitioners must have a combination of specialist qualifications and experience, including significant involvement at a specialist level with inheritance and succession planning.
Why use a TEP?
Choosing a professional to help you to deal with such important and often sensitive issues can be difficult. Many aspects of planning are non-regulated, meaning anyone can write a will, for example, regardless of training or expertise. With a TEP, you’re in safe hands.
- Expertise: TEPs are recognised experts in their field, with proven qualifications and experience. By joining STEP and maintaining their membership they have also shown significant commitment to their continued professional development in this specialist area.
- Integrity: TEPs are subject to an extensive Code of Professional Conduct (PDF 24KB), 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. In England and Wales, STEP members who draft wills are also bound by STEP’s Will Code. These professional standards provide you with a clear understanding of what to expect from a TEP, and importantly if you feel one of our members is not acting in accordance with these standards, you can make a complaint under our Disciplinary Process.
- Knowledge: TEPs are required to maintain and develop the knowledge and skills relevant to their role as a condition of their continued membership. This means TEPs will always be up to date with the latest legal, technical and regulatory developments that may affect you and your situation.
- Connections: TEPs have access to a global network of 20,000 advisors and professionals, enabling them to share knowledge and expertise across professional and geographic boundaries and to offer a joined-up service that can really add value to you as a client.
