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STEP (the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) was founded by George Tasker in 1991 and is the international professional body for advisers who specialise in inheritance and succession planning. Its members are mainly solicitors, barristers, attorneys, accountants, tax advisers, trust officers and trust administrators as well as banking and insurance professionals in the trust field.
STEP has more than 100 branches and chapters in 56 countries with a current membership in excess of 20,000.
The main focus of the organisation is to promote high professional standards within the profession, to provide educational and networking opportunities for its members and to contribute to debate and public policy in its specialist field.
STEP runs a number of educational programmes, from entry-level certificates to a full diploma. Accumulated credits from these qualifications and prior experience determine the level of membership. Only full STEP members can use the letters TEP after their name.
All STEP members are subject to a 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 and of the wider community. Members are also required to keep up to date with the latest legal, technical and regulatory developments.
The president of STEP is Geoffrey Shindler OBE, who was appointed in November 2006. He is a UK qualified solicitor and one of the founder members of the organisation. The current Chair of STEP is Patricia Wass TEP, a practitioner based in England & Wales. She was elected in October 2016.
The designation TEP after a member's name is the only widely recognised mark for professionals in the trust and estate administration industry.